Delaware pol seeks online sports betting, cuts to state’s online tax take

Delaware wants to allow its licensed online gambling operators to add parlay sports betting to their gaming menu.

Last week, state Sen. Brian Bushweller (pictured) filed SB183, which (among other things) would authorize state-licensed online operators to add parlay sports betting to their casino, poker and lottery options.

The Delaware Lottery already offers land-based parlay sports bets, in which bettors must select the winners of at least three different games. Delaware was among the four states – the others being Montana, Nevada and Oregon – whose existing sports betting products were grandfathered under the 1992 federal PASPA measure that banned betting everywhere else.

Nevada has been offering mobile wagering for a few years now but Bushweller’s timing may have more to do with his state’s moribund regulated online market. Delaware’s total online revenue in 2015 came to $1.8m, down nearly 14% from 2014’s total. Compare that to New Jersey’s regulated market, which rose more than one-fifth last year.