Delaware Online Gambling
The Delaware online gambling market is one of the nation’s oldest. The state was one of the first to legalize a full suite of online gambling options, including online casinos, poker sites, and sportsbooks.
Unlike most states, Delaware’s approach to online gambling is highly centralized. The Delaware Lottery oversees all online casino, poker, and sports betting activities, contracting with a single platform provider to service the entire state. The result is a monopoly structure that limits consumer choice to one official platform while ensuring tight regulatory control.
Other Delaware online gambling options include pari-mutuel horse racing wagering and daily fantasy sports.
Read on for a complete look at what is legal, what is not, and how to play safely in the First State.
Legal Delaware Gambling Sites
21+ to play. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-888-850-8888 or visit DEProblemGambling.org. All games are lottery games controlled by the Delaware Lottery.
Delaware Online Gambling Overview
| Type of Gambling (minimum age) | Legal Status | Notes |
| Online Casinos (21+) | Legal/Regulated | Authorized under “The Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012,” 78 Del. Laws, c. 285 (2012). |
| Sweepstakes Casinos (18+) | Illegal | DGE considers them illegal; most operators have exited the DE market; some operators remain |
| Online Poker (21+) | Legal/Regulated | Legal; Shared tables with other states via MSIGA agreement |
| Online Sports Betting (21+) | Legal/Regulated | Legal under 29 Del. C. ch. 48 |
| Daily Fantasy Sports (18+) | Legal/Regulated | Authorized under “The Delaware Interactive Fantasy Contests Act,” 29 Del. C. ch. 48, subch. III |
| Fantasy Pick ’em Contests (18+) | Legal/Regulated | Player-vs-house pick’em prohibited; peer-to-peer variants allowed |
| Online Lottery Sales (n/a) | Illegal | Tickets only sold at retailers; couriers like Jackpocket not authorized |
| Online Horse Racing (18+) | Legal/Unregulated | Not explicitly authorized but tolerated under the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978 |
Delaware Online Casinos
Online casinos are legal and regulated in Delaware.
Players 21+ can play online at BetRivers Casino, the only gambling site authorized in Delaware. All players must be physically located within state lines to play casino games online.
Delaware legalized online gambling through the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012, making it the first state to legalize online casinos.
The Delaware online gambling market is a state-controlled monopoly operated by the Delaware Lottery in partnership with the state’s three land-based casinos. Each casino maintains a distinct online gambling website, but they all operate on a singular, statewide platform operated by the Lottery’s designated online gambling vendor.
For nearly a decade, 888 Holdings held an exclusive contract with the Delaware Lottery to manage the state’s online gambling operations. However, the Delaware Lottery switched to Rush Street Interactive (parent company of BetRivers Casino) in 2024.
The switch modernized Delaware’s online gambling platform, significantly expanded the games library, and added live dealer games to players’ options.
Delaware Sweepstakes Casinos
Sweepstakes casinos are illegal in Delaware.
Although state law does not explicitly ban sweepstakes casinos, the Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) considers them to be a form of unauthorized online gambling.
The DGE issued cease-and-desist orders to sweepstakes casino operators in 2023 and again in 2025. According to the DGE, sweepstakes gambling sites violate state statutes, the state penal code, and the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012.
Only a few reputable sweepstakes casinos like WOW Vegas remain accessible in Delaware; most have exited the market. Players who do choose to use sweepstakes casinos in Delaware despite the DGE’s stance should keep the following points in mind:
- BetRivers Casino offers all the same types of games players would find at any sweepstakes casino, except it’s legal without all the dual-currency confusion and legal uncertainty.
- DGE enforcement actions could cause even reputable sweepstakes casinos to stop serving Delawareans with little warning.
- Very few reputable sweepstakes operators remain active in Delaware.
Delaware Online Poker
Online poker is legal and regulated in Delaware.
Delaware legalized online poker via the same 2012 law that authorized real-money gambling sites. The Delaware online poker market also operates as a lottery-controlled monopoly served by a single operator: BetRivers Poker.
Due to Delaware’s small population, its participation in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) is a key feature of the state’s online poker market.
Delaware was a founding member of MSIGA, which allows poker sites licensed in two or more member states to share player pools across state lines. This agreement is critical for Delaware players because it creates larger prize pools and tournaments by allowing BetRivers to operate shared tables with bigger states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Players must be 21+ to play poker online in Delaware.
Delaware Online Sports Betting
Online sports betting is legal and regulated in Delaware.
Here’s what Delaware sports fans need to know:
- BetRivers is Delaware’s only legal online sportsbook
- You must be 21+ to bet online in Delaware
- You can bet on professional and college sports
- State law prohibits BetRivers from offering wagers on games involving Delaware colleges
Delaware got a head start on legal sports betting thanks to a 2009 law that authorized single-game sports betting. Courts determined that the law violated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), but Delaware never repealed the law.
When the Supreme Court overturned PASPA, Delaware moved quickly to become the first state to launch single-game sports betting. Initially, legal wagering was limited to retail sportsbooks.
Online betting commenced in late 2023 after Rush Street Gaming launched BetRivers Sportsbook in Delaware.
Delaware Daily Fantasy Sports
Daily fantasy sports contests are legal and regulated in Delaware.
Delaware passed HB 249 in 2017 to legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports. Under the Delaware Interactive Fantasy Contest Act, DFS contests are contests of skill and exempt from state gambling prohibitions.
The Act requires fantasy sports apps to register with the Division of Gaming Enforcement, which is also responsible for ensuring “the integrity, accountability, and public trust” of DFS contests.
A handful of daily fantasy sports sites are licensed in Delaware:
- PrizePicks
- Underdog Fantasy
- Betr Picks
- FanDuel
- DraftKings
- Yahoo Fantasy Sports
Licensed Delaware fantasy sports operators must pay a 15.5% tax on revenue, segregate customer funds from operational funds, promote responsible play, and provide tools for customers to self-exclude from participating in paid contests.
Fantasy Pick ’em Apps in Delaware
Fantasy pick ’em contests are legal and regulated in Delaware.
Licensed DFS operators may offer peer-to-peer fantasy pick ’em contests in which users predict whether athletes will exceed or fall short of their projected stat totals.
Delaware prohibits player-vs-house pick ’em contests due to their similarity to sports betting. As such, licensed platforms must pool entry fees among participants and pay prizes from that pool, not from operator funds.
The Division of Gaming Enforcement has authorized three fantasy sports sites to offer player-vs-player pick ’em contests to date:
- PrizePicks
- Underdog Fantasy
- Betr Picks
Delaware Online Lottery Sales
Delaware law prohibits the Delaware Lottery from offering online ticket sales.
Players cannot purchase Powerball, Mega Millions, or Keno tickets online, and third-party couriers like the Jackpocket app are not permitted
The Delaware Lottery has explored online ticket sales in past internal studies, but no enabling legislation has emerged. The DE Lottery Players Club app will remain limited to ticket scanning, jackpot alerts, and entry into second-chance drawings for the foreseeable future.
Online Horse Racing Betting in Delaware
Online horse racing betting is legal but unregulated in Delaware.
Although prominent online racebooks like TwinSpires and AmWager accept Delaware customers, the General Assembly has never enacted a statute that licenses or oversees advance deposit wagering.
Regulations adopted by the Delaware Harness Racing Commission still list “9.2 Account Wagering [Reserved]”, indicating that regulators could implement a regulatory framework sometime in the future.
Lawmakers tried to change that in 2017 via HB 251, a bill that would have added §§ 10062 and 10172 to Title 3 to authorize and regulate advance deposit wagering. The measure cleared committee but died without reaching the House floor, so the proposed sections never made it into the Delaware Code.
Because Delaware neither licenses nor expressly bans advance deposit wagering, racebooks rely on the federal Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 to take bets from Delaware residents 18 and older.
Therefore, players wager under the operators’ out-of-state licenses, not under Delaware law. The Thoroughbred and Harness Racing Commissions do not audit account security, hold segregated player funds, or mediate disputes.
As a result, horse racing fans should keep the following in mind:
- Protections: Funds are safeguarded only by the licensing state’s rules; Delaware officials cannot intervene in disputes.
- Self-exclusion: The Lottery’s statewide self-exclusion list does not cover ADW sites; limits must be set with each operator individually.
- Taxes: Winnings remain taxable for Delaware residents even though bets are placed under another jurisdiction’s authority.
Read more:
Delaware Gambling Regulators
- Delaware State Lottery Office: Manages lottery operations, including online casinos, poker, sports betting, and iLottery; issues licenses and adopts rules under Title 29.
- Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE): Enforces all gambling laws, regulates DFS, conducts investigations, and handles self-exclusion; operates under the Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security.
- Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission: Regulates horse racing, including ADWs and on-track wagering; ensures compliance with Title 3 standards.
- Delaware Harness Racing Commission: Regulates harness racing, including licensing of tracks, oversight of pari-mutuel wagering, and ensuring fairness through audits; operates under Title 3, Chapter 100.
Responsible Gambling Resources in Delaware
Delaware incorporates problem gambling funding into every gambling regulatory framework.
Delaware provides accessible resources for responsible gambling, integrated across all regulated platforms, with a focus on prevention and treatment. A statewide self-exclusion program covers casinos, online betting, and racinos.
Residents may self-exclude for one year, five years, or life through the Lottery’s statewide program (forms available at every casino cage and online at DGE). All licensed sites must integrate the list and offer on-device limits.
Self-Exclusion Resources
- DE Lottery Voluntary Exclusion Program: Applies to all state-regulated gambling and sports betting platforms; enroll via phone or in person at the Delaware Lottery Office in Dover.
- Operator-Specific Tools: Platforms like BetRivers offer in-app limits for deposits, time, and losses, plus voluntary self-exclusion synced with the statewide list.
Responsible Gambling Organizations
- Delaware Council on Gambling Problems (DCGP): 24/7 confidential helpline 888-850-8888, text 302-438-8888, and live chat at deproblemgambling.org.
- National Problem Gambling Helpline: Call 1-800-GAMBLER; text 800GAM; chat online at 1800gamblerchat.org.
- Gamblers Anonymous: Weekly meetings in Wilmington, Dover, and Georgetown.