After the Governor of Delaware plunked down $10 on June 5 to back his beloved Philadelphia Phillies within the Chicago Cubs, the bet indicated the start of a new era in American sports gambling.
Governor John Carney’s flier on the Phillies managed to produce a $20 profit also, following the (+200) underdogs managed to upset the Cubbies.
That ceremonial bet placed at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino was quickly followed by several bigger tickets bought by more severe bettors, such as a string of $500 baseball bets placed by local ace Stu Feiner.
All in all, across the country’s three racetrack / casino venues — Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and Harrington Raceway & Casino — accumulated $322,135 at wagers on the first day of business. That amount comes directly from Delaware Lottery director Vernon Kirk, who heads the regulatory group helping get Delaware’s sports gambling industry ready to go.
Residents of and visitors to Delaware have been able to partially bet on sports for many decades, but only on”parlay cards” according to National Football League (NFL) games. Those parlay cards demanded several winners to be linked together, and also the only tickets that cashed were those who showed all winners.
Traditional single-game or fixed-odds sports gambling, a la what you find in a Las Vegas sportsbook, wasn’t accessible Delaware — or any American state aside from Nevada for that issue. Under a federal law called the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992, single-game sports gambling was banned everywhere but the Silver State.
That all changed on May 14, but when the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark 6-3 ruling in a case known as Murphy v. NCAA. That case originated in New Jersey, following the Garden State made continued efforts to pass its sports gambling laws and regulations. After being sued by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Together with the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL, New Jersey’s ultimate appeal to the Supreme Court wound up in the winning column.
Whenever the Court ruled that PASPA violated the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution — which grants states the right to pass their own laws absent Congressional action — PASPA was officially struck down for good.
What followed that decision three weeks ago was a veritable gold rush, with New Jersey racing to put the last touches on its own statewide regulations.
However, while lawmakers in New Jersey took their time, their counterparts from Delaware had legal frameworks in place as a result of their parlay card surgery. Called the First State for a motive, Delaware went fast to become the first nation out of Nevada to accept lawful sports wagers.
Here is how Governor Carney explained the sports betting launching in an interview with ESPN Chalk:
“For us, it’s actually an improvement of our tourism industry.
It will attract a lot of traffic to our state, especially in this time of year, throughout summer time, coming into our beautiful beaches south of this.
They come here and stop in the casinos and also do slot machines and table gambling. This will be an additional opportunity for them.”
Carney also took a moment to hype Delaware since the Northeast’s latest sports gambling destination when talking to USA Today:
“Gloating in this industry does not last very long.
We are happy to be first today.
I don’t expect we’ll be the just one quite long, but today it feels very good to be first.”
(Quotation link)
Carney’s historic first wager was set at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, however, the state is home to 2 racetrack / casinos using in-house sportsbooks: Delaware Park Racetrack and Harrington Raceway and Casino.
Until the sportsbooks at Atlantic City go live — which should be any minute now — Delaware stands out as the only spot for residents of the East Coast to place wagers. With that in mind, bettors will be flocking to those casinos from all corners of the Northeast.
To help get you started in your sports betting journey, I’ve gone ahead and seen all the three sportsbooks in Delaware. Below you’ll find honest and objective reviews of each centre, along with need to know information like the address, contact number, site, and distances from regional population centers.
So check out my reviews of the three sportsbook places now operating in Delaware to make a more educated decision with your gambling buck:
Delaware Park Racetrack
Address: 777 Delaware Park Blvd, Wilmington, DE 19804
Telephone: -LRB-302-RRB-??994-2521
Site:http://www.delawarepark.com/sports-betting/
Distance from Philadelphia:41 miles
Distance from Baltimore:69 miles
Distance from New York: 122 miles
Distance from Boston:355 miles
Situated in the very northernmost point of the state, in town of Wilmington, Delaware Park Racetrack is the very conveniently accessible venue for folks in New York and New England.
It’s also the most appealing of the trio, the casino centre nestled close to the banks of the Delaware River and also a grassy green hill. In the exterior, Delaware Park appears to be another stately three-story property, but once you step foot in you will feel as if you’ve walked on the casino floor in Las Vegas.
Between the slot machines, bright lights, and golden trimming, this place is similar to the Golden Nugget than your average rural racetrack.
When you discover the sportsbook areas — which are situated in the clubhouses around the 1st and 3rd floors — you’ll be greeted by an array of brightly colored miniature lightbulbs exhibiting the day’s lines and odds. These betting boards used to be cutting edge in Las Vegas about 10 years back, but Sin City has phased them out in favor of high-definition tv displays instead.
However, you know what they say about a man’s trash being another’s treasure, therefore Delaware Park is happy to have the gambling boards onsite.
Just ask William Fasy, who serves as president of Delaware Park. During a meeting with Deadspin to celebrate his sportsbook opening for company, Fasy touted his venue’s most prominent technological boom:
“These planks were bought eight years ago, and they’re no longer employed in Vegas.
But they are the best boards in Delaware!”
(Quotation link)
If you’re unfamiliar with a sportsbook betting board the picture below will show you exactly what I am discussing.
Sports Book Beting Board
As you can see, each game or wager is coded using a base amount (401, 402, etc., in the example image above). When betting on 401 from the image above, you would be backing the Minnesota Vikings (-10) over the Los Angeles Rams. This (-10) figure denotes the point spread, so in this scenario, that the Vikings will be laying 10 points to the Rams.
If you wanted to take Minnesota with no spread, just look for the negative or positive amounts to the right of the point spread. These figures are called the”moneyline,” plus they reflect true odds on your bet. For the Vikings instance, you’d be financing a large (-600) preferred, while a bet on the underdog Rams would provide (+400) in your cash.
Each participant or team will have their own number, so you would just tell the clerk”$100 on 401moneyline please” to put a c-note down on the Vikes.
Along with the fancy gaming planks, Delaware Park has also set up a bank of self employed wagering kiosks. These were not up and running just yet when I visited the facility, but they seemed like ATM machines in the early 1990s. Think a boxy frame, small display, and no-nonsense interface and you’ll find the idea.
You can bet to your heart’s content in Delaware Park, which provides daily actions on Major League Baseball (MLB), and also the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals, along with a ton of daily golfing clubs and tennis tournaments.
If you’re interested in futures betting, take a shot at the forthcoming 2018 World Cup soccer championship, or attempt to forecast which NFL team will take the Super Bowl title this season.
Fasymade it apparent in a round of meet and greets with the local press that Delaware Park would be going”all in” on its sportsbook. According to him, every form of betting will be on the table, save one:
“I think the only thing we’re not going to offer is’in sport’ wagering.
You are going to have prop bets. You are simply not likely to have in sport prop bets happening.
And eventually you’re going to have a mobile device.”
(Quote link)
The notion of in-game gambling was popularized by online sportsbooks, with players able to put extra wagers even as the game is continuing. Say your group falls into an early hole, and you are keen on balancing the ledger. Placing an in-game wager on the opposite side offers valuable protection against upsets and unexpected circumstances.
While the in-game betting fad won’t be coming into Delaware Park just yet, Fasy did allude to the development of mobile and internet wagering down the road.
Don’t forget, Delaware is one of just three countries — along with Nevada and New Jersey — in which a regulated and legal online gambling industry has already gone live. With internet casinos and poker rooms currently hosted by the state’s three casino racetracks, it will not be long until it’s possible to download the Delaware Park sportsbook app straight for your smartphone or mobile device.
When it comes to customer support, Delaware Park really hit the ball out of the park. Under guidance from Fasy — who’s clearly enthusiastic about turning the area into a sports bettor’s haven — the team here are knowledgeable and considerate. Sure, a couple hiccups could be observed in terms of erroneous tickets and so on, for example my futures bet on the Miami Dolphins year win total being entered as a Miami Marlins moneyline by error.
However, those growing pains are to be expected for any new sportsbook. Because of the useful attendants, I was able to cancel the Marlins ticket and then swap it for the Dolphins in a couple of minutes.
All in all, I can not suggest Delaware Park enough, based both on the venue’s contemporary feel and Fasy’s clear dedication to producing the state’s best sportsbook.
Dover Downs Hotel and Casino
Address: 1131 North DuPont Highway; Dover, Delaware
Phone:-LRB-302-RRB-??674-4600
Site:https://www.doverdowns.com/horse-racing/race-and-sports-book
Distance from Philadelphia: 78 miles
Distance from Baltimore:106 miles
Distance from New York: 165 miles
Distance from Boston: 388 miles
When I first laid eyes on Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, my very first thought was of the glittering Off-Strip casinos scattered throughout the Las Vegas desert.
Places such as the South Point and Red Rock Resort, which unite sprawling hotel towers crossing a number of stories with classical design — that’s what Dover Downs is about for.
And the illusion isn’t broken one bit when you walk through the doorways. Vaulted ceilings, fancy art, and marble flooring all unite to turn the area into a casino connoisseur’s dream come true. This location has convention halls, shopping outlets, and naturally, a racetrack in which NASCAR events are hosted every year.
Head through the primary entrance and find the nearest bar off to the side, and you will be smack dab at the sportsbook. Just look for the large comfy chairs and massive projector displays overhead, and you are there.
At first glance, the sportsbook centre at Dover Downs appears to indicate a thriving enterprise set to capitalize on the demise of PASPA. And to be sure, the centre has expanded its offerings to include the complete complement of single-game wagers, props, and futures.
However during my time , the attention from staff and clients alike stayed on horse racing. That makes sense I guess, what with the place’s longstanding affiliation with the”Sport of Kings.”
I was curious, however, about the apparent absence of buzz concerning ordinary sports gambling, especially with the NBA and NHL Finals going on in the moment.
A little digging around told the tale, as I discovered the following quote from Dover Downs president Ed Sutor in an article published by theDelaware Public:
“It is wonderful to have. [But] in Nevada, where they have had it for 50 decades, it merely represents about two percent of the earnings.
A lot of people are mistaking the numbers bet as the revenue.
It is not a huge take for the business.”
(Quotation link)
Sutor was not the sole Dover Downs executive that seemed to be lukewarm at best as it came to expanded sportsbooks in the nation:
Dover Downs Gamingchief executive officer Denis McGlynn threw cold water on the notion that sports gambling are an economic boon for the state when talking to Delaware Online:
“There’s a lot of rhetoric that gets thrown around down there which does not have some basis in fact.People need to control their expectations on this.
The dollars that are left after you pay off the winners are very little and you divide it among a variety of people in this state.
When (surrounding states) wake up and running, we’re going to see a draining of people who are coming here, just as we have seen in the normal casino business and prior to this in the horse racing industry.”
(Quotation link)
While a pragmatic business outlook certainly makes sense, especially from an operator’s standpoint, I am not sure I know Dover Downs’ angle on this.
By neglecting to adopt the full array of sports betting options now open to Delaware, the venue risks being abandoned in Delaware Park’s dust. And perhaps that’s already true.
This past year the state of Delaware collected $1.9 million in revenue on its parlay card games. From that figure, Delaware Park dominated the market with $1.2 million, nearly 3 times that obtained in by Dover Downs ($422,000).
The absence of religion expressed from the higher-ups in Dover Downs seems to have trickled down to the staff level. Clerks did not seem very educated when I inquired about futures and unless you were wagering on the ponies, nobody voiced the type excitement I felt back at Delaware Park.
And that’s a shame too, because from the outside , this site boasts the type of conveniences every gambler enjoys.
Harrington Raceway and Casino
Address: 18500 S Dupont Hwy, Harrington, DE 19952
Telephone: -LRB-302-RRB-??398-4920
Website: http://casino.harringtonraceway.com/sports-book
Distance from Philadelphia:99 miles
Distance from Baltimore:87 miles
Distance from New York: 186 miles
Distance from Boston:409 miles
Harrington Raceway is located incentral Delaware, just one hour and a half from Baltimore and Philadelphia.
But you’re going to be forgiven for driving right by the place without even noticing.
This casino has been affixed to some little harness racing track, and the entire grounds was built out in the middle of nowhere.
The casino building’s exterior resembles that of non-denominational church, rather than much adorns it to imply gambling and entertainment is afoot. It’s an interesting design choice to say the least, and things don’t exactly improve when you head inside.
If you’ve ever been into the older Downtown district in Las Vegas — home of”fabulous” Fremont Street — then you understand what to expect at Harrington Raceway. Rundown slot machines, aging d??cor, and a generally sullen scene would be the defining features of the casino floor.
Fortunately for bettors, the sportsbook area does offer a little bit of improvement — but just barely. Matters fell more straightforward in there, but the setup of personal cubicles with attached TV monitors — typical for racebooks — is not exactly inviting. The projector screens overhead are large and bright though, so I’ll give them that much.
Interestingly enough, Harrington Raceway’s chief executive officer Patti Key has yet to comment publicly about the legalization of sports betting. Whether this speaks to some companywide philosophy highlighting horse racing over the sportsbook isn’t to me to say but Key remaining tight-lipped is pretty intriguing.
Because of the monitor’s standing as a serious harness racing centre, the sportsbook is usually crowded ahead of scheduled start times. If you’re there for sports only, be sure to catch a copy of the daily racing form to see when the lines will probably begin stacking up.
A nice byproduct of the venue’s serious approach to horse racing is the employees are prepared and ready to roll. I needed to fix a few ticket authors from time to time in both of the other sportsbooks, but the folks in Harrington batted 1.000 in relation to accuracy.
In general, the experience surpassed that which I would have anticipated when I first saw the construction, which is probably why they say never to judge a book by it’s cover.
Conclusion
Depending on where you call home, one of the three venues listed above will be the most suitable based solely on proximity. That’s probably reason enough to select a favorite, but since Delaware is a small state, it is possible to hit all three inside a weekend to see them up close and personal.
In regard to my tour of the nation’s sportsbooks, I preferred Delaware Park, Harrington Raceway, and Dover Downs in that order.
Delaware Park benefits from the excitement of its direction, as Fasy brings a real interest in the sports betting industry to the table. His team are genuinely eager to help new bettors learn the ropes, and that goes a long way in my book. When the very first online sportsbooks go live in the First State, I’ll bet my bottom Delaware Park is running the show.
Harrington Raceway might not be much to check at, but the place knows how to conduct a racebook. The staff can answer questions and lead you through the process easily. Whether that victory extends to sports gambling remains to be seen, however I’ve a sense serious bettors will call this place home.
In terms of Dover Downs, my feelings on the situation are easy — when the people in control don’t enjoy sports gambling, they wont enjoy sports bettors either. Until I hear word of a change in tone coming down the chain of command, I simply wouldn’t anticipate that the mistakes and malaise here to be resolved anytime soon.
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