Sports Betting In Wilmington
Sports betting in Wilmington, Delaware, is currently limited to a single brick-and-mortar destination, Delaware Park Racetrack (aka the Casino @ Delaware Park). Called DelPark by locals and horse racing aficionados from the region, Delaware Park is the only Thoroughbred race track in the state. Of course, now there’s more than just pari-mutuel pony betting in DE – there’s also a complete, Las-Vegas-style menu of sports betting to enjoy.
Because Delaware was already exempt from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992), at least in a very small part (the state was legally allowed to offer NFL parlay tickets featuring 3 or more games per wager), the state lottery overseeing this activity was empowered – upon PASPA’s overturn – to allow and regulate sports betting in Wilmington, DE, and the rest of the Blue Hen State. Delaware did not need any additional state authority to implement full-service sports betting, and it did so almost immediately.
Indeed, Delaware became the first state outside of Nevada to offer comprehensive sports betting services to its customers inside state borders at physical venues. The first Delaware sports bet was placed on June 5, 2018, by DE governor John Carney at Dover Downs, which competes with Wilmington’s Delaware Park.
- Delaware Park Racetrack
- http://www.delawarepark.com/
- Address: 777 Delaware Park Blvd, Wilmington, DE 19804
- Phone: 302-994-2521
The first thing you’ll notice when reading any Dover Downs review is that the venue – like Harrington Raceway 20 miles to the south – is strictly a harness horse racing venue. (If you want to take in or bet on a Thoroughbred race, you’ll have to drive about 45 miles north to Delaware Park, as that’s the only Thoroughbred track in the state.) Of course, Dover Downs – aka Dover Downs Hotel & Casino – is also a full-fledged racino. In addition to more than 2700 slot machines, Dover Downs has over 40 table games to choose from (craps, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, etc.), a dedicated poker room with 18 tables, a 500-room hotel on the premises, an upscale shopping area called The Colonnade, 9 restaurants (including the renowned, award-winning Michele’s steakhouse and the Pearl Oyster Grill), and 5 bars.
All in all, Dover Downs is the biggest casino venue in the state, and – as the site of many major NASCAR events at its Dover International Speedway (which surrounds its harness racing track) – it pulls in the most spectators and gamblers of the three gambling hotspots. With sports betting in Dover now on full offer, of course, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino is due to host more guests than ever before.
What To Expect When Betting At The Wilmington Sportsbook
There are several amenities and opportunities for what to expect when betting at the Wilmington sportsbook. Run by the Delaware Lottery, there is no real reason to shop lines in person at DE’s different tracks, since they’ll all be posting the same odds as a matter of course. That means that you won’t need to worry about finding better or more valuable lines in person at any Delaware sports betting location. (If you wish to find lots of competing lines on any given contest, you can always check out the various top-flight offshore sportsbooks that are available to DE residents over the Internet.)
At any rate, sports betting in Wilmington at the Delaware Park Racetrack offers all the Vegas-style odds and lines you expect on major US and international games and leagues. NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, soccer, boxing, MMA, hockey, golf, and more are on tap. As far as individual wager types, the sportsbook at Delaware Park has straights, spreads, totals (over/unders), player props, team props, and futures available on just about every matchup, all year round. And, in a nod to Delaware’s sports betting past, you can still play the state’s old 3-game parlays in Wilmington and elsewhere. (Please note that currently, the sportsbook at Delaware Park does not offer any bonuses for new bettors. If you wish to get freebies for wagering on your favorite players and teams in Delaware, all the top online sportsbooks have several valuable bonuses to choose from.)
Wilmington Sportsbook Hours Of Operation:
The Wilmington sportsbook’s hours of operation are as follows:
- Monday – Thursday: 11 AM – 11 PM
- Friday: 11 AM – Midnight
- Saturday: 9 AM – Midnight
- Sunday: 9 AM – 11 PM
These are reasonable hours and should allow for most bettors to place any wager they wish. Sports betting in Wilmington, then, should be adequately comprehensive going forward, though it is important to note that the venue’s TVs and automated betting kiosks (or self-service betting machines) will be turned off at 11 PM on a daily basis. While this is likely to be expanded as sports betting in Delaware gets more popular (especially when it comes to West Coast action), for now, these hours should be adequate for 99% of bettors.
Things To Do In Wilmington, DE
Outside of betting on the ponies or sports betting in Wilmington’s Delaware Park Racetrack, there are a few other amusements nearby that are worth a visit if you’re vacationing in the area. Wilmington is considered to be the cultural capital of Delaware, after all, and there are plenty of museums, restaurants, and outdoor attractions to take in. The Rockwood Museum offers a glimpse into the area’s old aristocracy of the 1800s, showcasing the region’s wealthy, Gothic Revival architectural sensibilities. The Hagley Museum and Library – situated across 235 acres on the Brandywine Creek banks – is another can’t-miss spot, with exhibitions demonstrating the early industrial history of the area (with a focus on the famous/infamous DuPont family).
Sports fans can check out the Delaware Sports Museum & Hall of Fame, while the Delaware Art Museum is also on-hand for those more culturally inclined, as is Wilmington’s Grand Opera House. Parks and fairgrounds about as well, and after a nice day exploring many of the hidden gems in Wilmington, restaurants like the Big Fish Grill on the Riverfront, La Fia, the Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Harry’s Savoy Grill, and the Eclipse Bistro all offer great meals and fine dining experiences. Sports betting in Wilmington might be the area’s main draw right now, but once you go out and about or spend a night on the town, you’ll fall in love with Wilmington itself.
FAQs About Sports Betting In Wilmington
Can I Participate In Sports Betting In Wilmington Over The Phone?
While it would be convenient to participate in sports betting in Delaware over the phone, this is not a service offered by the racino venues in Delaware. Because phone calls cannot be reliably screened for their points of origin, it is impossible for a DE sportsbook to know if the call is coming from inside state borders. Because it is a violation of the Interstate Wire Act (1961) for bookmakers to accept wagers across state lines, no DE sports betting site is going to risk their license to offer such a service.
Do Wilmington Sportsbooks Have Online Sports Betting?
No. Currently, there are no provisions in the Delaware Code that allow online sports betting or Internet-based sports betting to be operated inside the state. For now, then, Wilmington sportsbooks do not have online sports betting, and you have to be physically present at the venue and make your wagers in person to be compliant with the law. Still, you can bet online if you wish, and legally! All you need to do is join a legal offshore sportsbook like BetOnline, SportsBetting, 5Dimes, or BetDSI, all of whom accept DE customers and offer full national and international betting boards.
Does Wilmington Have Proxy Betting Services?
An old workaround of the Wire Act, proxy betting services are no longer used much in the US. In a nutshell, a Wilmington proxy betting service would allow out-of-state residents (or non-residents) to contract with an in-state entity (a person or a business) to place wagers on their behalf. It is unlikely that sports betting in Wilmington will get proxy betting support any time in the foreseeable future. The only way to wager on sports in DE without getting to the Delaware Park Racetrack is to use a legal online sportsbook that operates from overseas. (Most top sites are available, but please note that Bovada is not accessible by DE residents at this time.)
Does Wilmington Have Mobile Betting?
Many folks think that mobile betting will be a substitute for proxy betting, allowing you to wager on the go from wherever you are, inside Delaware or elsewhere. Right now, Wilmington doesn’t have mobile betting, but even when it does, the app or Internet interface used for it will be geo-fenced, either to the sportsbook’s physical property lines or to the state’s borders. This geo-fencing is necessary because of the Interstate Wire Act, which applies to Internet communications the same way as it does to telephone communications. If you wish to wager on sports in Delaware and want to use a mobile solution, the only thing to do right now is sign up for a legal offshore sportsbook (BetOnline, SportsBetting, 5Dimes, etc.).
Can I Enjoy Sports Betting In Wilmington From Outside Delaware?
Because of the reasons listed in the answers above, you cannot enjoy sports betting in Wilmington from outside Delaware via any state-run, “official” means. However, again, it is safe and legal to use a reputable offshore sportsbook over the Internet (BetOnline et al.), and that’s something that nearly 200,000 DE residents actually participate in on a yearly basis.
Can I Use Bitcoin For Sports Betting In Wilmington?
You currently cannot use Bitcoin for sports betting in Wilmington at the Casino @ Delaware Park, as the venue only accepts fiat currency. Whether or not the forthcoming online component of the track’s sportsbook will accept cryptocurrency like Bitcoin remains to be seen, but I would expect that to not occur any time soon, given the unregulated nature of Bitcoin and the many altcoins on the market. That said, all the major online sports betting sites listed above accept Bitcoin and a host of altcoins like Ethereum, Litecoin, DASH, Cardano, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash, and more. New forms of sports betting crypto support are added all the time!
Do Wilmington Sportsbooks Offer Live Betting?
Wilmington sportsbooks offer live betting on most of the matchups on their books. Live betting, unlike traditional sports wagering, allows you to make your bets during the games themselves as events unfold in real time. In order to facilitate this, the sportsbook at the Casino @ Delaware Park has several sports wagering kiosks on hand that always post updated odds and allow bettors to make their picks in just a few seconds. Live betting, aka in-game betting, is a great way to both double down on a good bet or save a bad bet from wiping out your bankroll. For this reason, live wagering has become the most popular form of sports betting in Wilmington.
Top Delaware Sports Betting Sites
