Delaware Sports Betting Increases Sharply in 2021; iGaming Rises in November

Delaware sports betting had a solid rebound year in 2021.

The total sports betting handle for the year in Delaware was $121,288,658, with $89 million coming from the state’s thee retail sportsbooks and $32.28 million from more than 100 sports lottery retailers.

That total was up 34.4% from 2020., when the state took in $90.2 million in sports betting handle ($57.6 million from sportsbooks, $32.6 million from lottery retailers). The state record is $132.5 million in 2019.

The revenue also rose in a year-over-year comparison but not nearly as sharply. The sports betting revenue was $17,149,407, a rise of 0.4% from the $17,081,576 in 2020. That record was also set in 2019, at $19.55 million.

Delaware Sports Betting, 2021 vs. 2020

Total handle

Revenue

2021

$121.289M

$17.149M

2020

$90.243M

$17.082M

Change

Up 34.4%

Up 0.4%

Note: There is no mobile sports betting in Delaware.

As for a month-over-month comparisons, Delaware experienced a drop in sports betting handle from November to December and the revenue actually sank into the red for December. Real money online casino numbers are not available for December but those figures rose in November compared to October.

Here are three takeaways from the latest Delaware gaming numbers.

November iGaming Handle and Revenue Up From October

The state drew $30,138,561 in iGaming handle for November (unlike sports betting, December figures are not available yet). November’s iGaming revenue was an 18.4% increase over the October total of $25,455,375.

November’s iGaming revenue was $996,639 in Delaware, up 7.2% from October’s $930,093.

Delaware is one of a small number of states to offer online casino gaming. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia were among the early adopters along with Delaware. In 2021 Michigan online gaming launched, and late last year Connecticut also began its market. Delaware also offers online poker along with Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Football Big Catalyst for Sports Betting

As expected, football season was a major catalyst for the growth of sports betting in the final few months of the year.

When the NFL and college football seasons started, Delaware reported a 161.8% increase in handle, from $5.2 million in August to $13.7 million in September.

October had a sports betting handle of $22.2 million, the highest for the state in nearly three years (Delaware had three consecutive months of handle exceeding $21 million from September to December 2018). That follows a nationwide pattern of increased sports betting handle during football season but in Delaware there’s an even more obvious reason for the spike – lottery retailers offer parlay cards, but only during football season.

In October, those parlay cards brought in more than $10 million in handle, according to the Delaware Lottery, which reports numbers monthly.

Sports Betting Down in December From November

The total sports betting handle in December was $12,638,955 ($7,537,902 from sportsbooks, $5,101,053 from sports lottery retailers). That was down 18.8% from November’s $15,567,067 ($8,736,545 from sportsbooks, $6,830,522 from sports lottery retailers).

Delaware Sports Betting, December vs. November

Total handle

Revenue

December

$12.639M

Minus-$0.970M

November

$15.567M

$4.567M

Change

Down 18.8%

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The state took a loss in sports betting revenue for December, with a figure of minus-$969,520 thanks to a big loss (nearly $1.3 million) at lottery retailers. The revenue in November was $4,567,120 ($1,804,988 from sportsbooks, $2,762,132 from sports lottery retailers).

Meanwhile, one of those three retail locations with sports betting had a name change. In late November, the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino was rebranded and is now called Bally’s Dover Casino Resort.

There is no mobile sports betting in Delaware.