Delaware Gambling Laws

​Welcome to LegalDelawareGambling.com. This site is designed to assist residents of Delaware and those planning a visit to the state to understand the fluid and rapidly-evolving laws affecting legal land-based and online gaming in Delaware. The state of Delaware is one of the few in which lawmakers and policy makers seem to be looking ahead, rather than behind.

Online Gambling in Delaware Delaware was the first state to legalize online gambling. Its iGaming bill was passed in June 2012, paving the way for similar legislation in New Jersey and Nevada, which both introduced similar laws in early 2013. Gambling in Delaware: Where it is Legal for You to Bet Brick and Mortar Casinos in Delaware. Delaware is home to three land-based casinos. Each is a combined casino. Delaware Online Gambling: Casino Sites with Money Games. Delaware online gambling law came into effect in 2012.

We'll try to cover all the information pertaining to gambling in Delaware – what is permitted and what is not, what is legal, regulated and lawful, and what should be avoided by gambling enthusiasts not wishing to find themselves in legal gray areas. Citizens of Delaware should check back often for updates for, as stated, things are changing fast.

Delaware betting fans are in a bit of an interesting position right now. On one hand, Delaware doesn’t have any real land-based casinos, although there are three racinos that offer plenty of great legal Delaware gambling action; on the other hand this great state is one of two to have any kind of legal sports betting. It seems odd that a state would offer sportsbooks, which are banned in 48 states, but not full poker rooms or casinos. Much of this has to do with outdated federal laws, not state sanctions. Also, the sportsbook is only available for football during NFL season, and only for certain types of parlays.

This brings us to the world of legal online gambling in Delaware. While your land-based options are somewhat limited, these betting sites offer all the best in poker, sports betting, and casinos gaming, and you can partake in it all from your own home or even on your mobile device. This type of access was unimaginable before the internet really got going, but we can consider ourselves lucky to live in an age where placing a bet on the Blue Rocks is as easy as ordering something at an online retailer.

The big question when joining a legal Delaware gambling site is, are they safe? Well, the answer is yes if you use any or all of the sites that we review. These sites are legendary in gambling circles, and they have been going strong for decades. You can usually judge if a site is safe by how many members it has. This is because if a site is not safe, word will spread quickly and players will abandon ship. If a site has been functioning for years and has millions of players, you can bet that they are doing something right.

These sites use top security methods and superior encryptions techniques when it comes to transferring, processing, and receiving funds. We have made hundreds of deposits and almost as many withdrawals using every method that each site offers, and our money has always arrived to tis proper location on time. We will vouch for these sites, and so will the millions of other players, including the thousands of satisfied members from Delaware

You can expect to find filled poker rooms, massive sportsbooks, and hundreds of casino games, all in one package. These sites don’t just focus on one thing, they offer everything you would find in a world-class casino, and more. The sportsbooks allow you to wager on all professional and most amateur sports, and the poker rooms have people playing everything from no limit Texas Hold’em to Omaha hi/lo. There is so much to do, so if you are a gambler, you owe it to yourself to check these sites out.

Another feature that we have barely touched upon is mobile betting. All of these sites allow you to access the sportsbook from your mobile device, and most of them allow you to do the same for poker and the casino. This means that you will have a mobile casino wherever you are, available at your fingertips. There is so much to explore and profit from on these sites that it is almost crazy that there is no sign up cost. Check these legal Delaware gambling sites out today for a great time.

​Delaware is not as well-known as Nevada or New Jersey among people looking for gambler-friendly states, but residents have long enjoyed a variety of legal, state-regulated gaming options. Horse racing is big business in Delaware, and the tracks usually include some choice of legal video casino-style games. Delaware has a state lottery and limited legalized sports betting through a 'lottery'-style state-run mechanism. And in 2012, the state enacted what remains the most sweeping overhaul of online gambling laws in the U.S. which, were then implemented at the end of October in 2013 to provide legal online casino games and poker rooms to those Delaware.

Our focus here will be on the legal, online gambling options available now and in the future to residents and visitors in Delaware. While horse racing, Indian casinos and other forms of brick-and-mortar style options will continue to be available, it is the fast-growing and vibrant online gambling industry that most interests new and experienced gamers.

As we mentioned, Delaware legislators passed, and the Governor signed, a bill in 2012 which legalizes, on a state level, various forms of online gambling, including poker, blackjack, roulette, slots and other casino-style games. The law is far more sweeping and inclusive than bills enacted in Nevada or New Jersey. Because this law affects only gambling within state borders, only people within the state will be able to access the state-run games once they are up and running. As of October 31st, 2013, Delaware launched legal and regulated gaming online in the state - as the first state in the U.S. with online poker + casino games available.

There also continue to be legal offshore sites available to Delaware residents - as they always have been. Casino gambling sites offering a wide assortment of games, legal poker rooms where tournaments are ongoing, and even legal sports books are all available, now, to residents of Delaware.

Delaware has some strange laws when it comes to land-based venues, such as limits on the sportsbooks and allowing racinos but not full-blown casinos or poker rooms, yet there is no law stopping average bettors from using a legal online gambling site that accepts Delaware residents. Old Federal laws such as the Wire Act of 1961 and the unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 disallow gambling sites from functioning inside much of the US. This is why all of the sites that you and your fellow betting fans will use are located overseas, in places like Costa Rica and Canada. These countries have much less stringent laws regarding online wagering, and there is nothing to stop Delaware residents from signing up. These sites offer sportsbooks, poker rooms, and virtual casinos for you to wager real money with, and it’s all legal.

Sports betting is heavily regulated in Delaware and other states, and federal laws designed to limit or eliminate certain aspects of online gambling almost exclusively apply only to sports betting. Still, this oldest and still popular form of gambling is available on a legal basis to sports fans in Delaware, through offshore sports betting sites that are not subject to federal or state oversight and regulation.

Delaware is one of the very few states in the nation that offers limited, state-regulated sports gambling outside of the accepted realms of horse and dog racing. A state sports lottery, grandfathered in because it existed before federal laws banning the practice were enacted, allows Delaware residents who are of legal age to wager lottery style on a limited and select number of professional sporting events.

But the state sports lottery is not the only option for Delaware residents looking to legally wager on a wide array of professional and amateur sporting events, games, teams and players. Legal sports betting sites online, based in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Panama and others, gladly accept players from Delaware and offer their entire sporting portfolio for wagering consideration.

Currently there are dozens of safe, legal online casino sites which always welcome Delaware residents with open arms. These sites are based in friendly nations that provide strong regulation and licensing methods to assure that the sites are operated fairly and legally. Many of the sites utilize the industry's most technologically advanced software to not only provide a realistic and exciting casino gaming experience, but also to enhance security and privacy for residents of Delaware and elsewhere.

Delaware Gambling Laws

Until the approval of the 2012 law, Delaware had no statutes regulating online casino gambling, so only federal laws applied. The new regulations apply only to those in-state casino operations that are licensed and sanctioned specifically by the state. This essentially means that all the legal options for casino gaming currently enjoyed by resident of Delaware will remain available even after the new games are up and running.

Check with us frequently for all the latest information on legal gambling in Delaware, including reviews of top casino sites.

Ever since the World Series of Poker turned Texas Hold 'Em into a world-wide phenomenon, poker has been one of the most popular online activities. In Delaware, poker lovers have a wide array of legal online sites from which to choose. Omaha, stud and hold 'em tourneys are going on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is always a seat open to a Delaware citizen looking for a legal poker game online.

The sweeping changes to in-state gambling regulations included in the 2012 law include regulation of state-approved poker sites that are web-based. Tthese regulations went into effect along with the other stipulations with online casinos in October of 2013. Under previous state statute, no regulations were outlined in regard to online poker, so the legal sites operating outside the jurisdiction of federal law are all legal and accessible to Delaware residents.

We will always be on the alert for updated information regarding legal online poker in Delaware, including reviews of the most popular web-based legal poker rooms.

Is There A Casino In Delaware

Delaware Gambling Laws

As we have discussed, Delaware is a state where elected officials understand the benefit of providing safe and legal gaming options to adults that enjoy wagering on games of skill and games of chance. This has allowed the state to reap the financial benefits of more tax revenues, lower than average unemployment, and a higher than average standard of living for its citizens. It has also drawn tourists and visitors across neighboring state borders who come to enjoy the state's more relaxed attitude regarding legal gambling.

While there is nothing to indicate that Delaware's pari-mutuels, casinos or race tracks will suffer as a result of new, state-sanctioned web-based gaming, policy makers and gamblers alike agree that the vast majority of growth in the multi-billion dollar gaming industry is destined to occur online, as sites become even more graphically-exciting, more games are offered, and new gamblers join the ranks of those who enjoy a legal online gambling experience and the convenience of having that excitement as close as the computer.

As we discussed, the new laws passed in 2012 were enacted in October of 2013. It is an exciting development, for while Congress seems to have no interest in revisiting, rescinding or updating current federal statutes restricting online gaming activity, the states are taking the lead - with Delaware leading the pack. While Nevada's online poker rooms are up and running first, Delaware's law provides much more in the way of state-sanctioned online games choices, from standard poker to elaborate casino-style games such as roulette, table games and slots.

Since these games have been available for a long time, legally, via the offshore sites we discussed, Delaware's acting to pass this new legislation is important not because it provides new opportunities to gamble, but because it may cause more states to consider the benefits of safe, legal and state-regulated online gaming.

While U.S. laws relating to gambling in general and online gaming in particular are not viewed as 'player friendly', neither are they seen as overly restrictive to individuals. While there is often confusion about the intent and application of federal laws, legal and gambling experts agree that three statutes, the Federal Wire Act, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act are the essential laws affecting gamblers in Delaware and elsewhere.

Online Gambling Law

Court decisions have taken all the teeth out of the outdated Wire Act, ruling it only applies to sports betting, and only in states that don't have sports betting already on the books, as Delaware does. The UIGEA is a regulatory measure aimed not at players but at financial institutions, so Delaware players are safe from prosecution under this measure unless they own a bank. And now that the U.S. Justice Department has stated its desire to concentrate in other areas and leave regulated online gaming to the states, Delaware has jumped to the front, which bodes well for more legal online gambling options in Delaware and nationwide.