The Delaware Governor’s office announced Thursday that the state will offer full-scale sports gaming at all three of its casinos -- including Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, located next to Dover International Speedway -- beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on June 5.
It will make Delaware the first state to offer sports gaming -- outside Nevada -- since the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that banned commercial sports betting across the county on May 14.
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In a press release Thursday from the Delaware Governor’s office, it stated: “The Delaware Department of Finance, in consultation with the Attorney General’s Office, has determined that there are no legal obstacles to moving forward with full-scale sports betting in Delaware following the U.S. Supreme Court decision on May 14 to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Under state law passed in 2009, Delaware may authorize betting on professional and collegiate sports, with the exception of games involving Delaware-based teams.”
The press release quoted Delaware Gov. John Carney as saying: “Delaware has all necessary legal and regulatory authority to move forward with a full-scale sports gaming operation, and we look forward to next week’s launch. We’re hopeful that this will bring even more visitors into Delaware to see firsthand what our state has to offer.”
The Delaware Lottery has published an online guide of how to make bets with SportsPick, the state’s sports gaming product. As of now, all bets must be made on casino property.
In the auto racing section, the guide stated that typically 20-30 drivers will be listed along with a field entry. Besides picking the race winner, the guide noted proposition wages such as head-to-head driver matchups. The guide pitted Jimmie Johnson vs. Kyle Busch in its example. The driver with the best finish wins the matchup. The guide also stated that other prop bets may also include over/under on the number of cautions in the race or which car manufacturer wins.
Also, auto racing odds are expected to be posted late Monday/Tuesday. Head-to-head matchups are expected to be posted the day before the race (after qualifying).
The first Cup race that will be available to make bets on is the June 10 race at Michigan International Speedway.