Delaware Online Poker
Online poker is no longer available in Delaware.
Delaware was the first state in the nation to legalize online poker, passing the requisite legislation in June 2012. Three Delaware poker sites operated for ten years but closed near the end of 2023.
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.
The Delaware online poker market functioned as a partnership between the state lottery and international online gambling operator 888 Holdings. The contract expired in December 2023, and the Delaware Lottery replaced 888 with Rush Street Interactive as its online gambling partner.
The new partnership enabled online sports betting in Delaware, but it came at the cost of losing online poker. Rush Street Interactive, the parent company of BetRivers, offers online casino games and sports betting but not online poker.
Will Online Poker Return to Delaware?
There’s a good chance legal online poker will return to Delaware, but there’s no timeline for when that will happen.
The good news for Delaware online poker players is Rush Street Interactive acquired Phil Galfond’s Run It Once poker platform in early 2022. That means Rush Street Interactive now has the technology to offer online poker in Delaware.
However, Rush Street hasn’t yet used the technology to launch an online poker platform in any state. Rush Street will probably prioritize launching online poker in other states with larger populations that can support busy ring games and tournaments.
Delaware’s population of just over one million would struggle to support poker games without interstate poker tables. So, Rush Street will likely launch online poker in other states first so it can launch Delaware with shared tables from day one.
Preparing its poker platform for live play, acquiring the needed authorizations in each state, and establishing a multi-state poker network will all take significant time and effort.
Once Rush Street gets online poker up and running in at least one other state, the odds of Delaware online poker restarting sometime soon will improve considerably.
It’s unclear how much progress Rush Street Interactive has made in any of those areas since acquiring Run It Once. As a result, it’s hard to estimate a timeline for the return of Delaware online poker.
Delaware Poker Sites
Delaware law grants a monopoly over online poker to the state’s three lottery-owned casinos. International gaming giant 888 Holdings operated three Delaware online poker sites on behalf of Delaware’s casinos for about a decade.
All three DE poker sites operated on the same network and shared tables. Each used software developed by 888Poker in a joint venture between 888 Holdings, Scientific Games Corporation, and Williams Interactive LLC. Their only real differences were their poker deposit bonuses, promotions, and cosmetic styling.
However, the three Delaware poker sites closed in December 2023 after the Delaware Lottery partnered with Rush Street Interactive instead of renewing its contract with 888 Holdings.
Delaware Shared Poker Tables
With a population of just under 1 million, Delaware is the smallest poker market in the nation. Delaware online poker would most likely be non-viable on its own, but fortunately for players, it is a member of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
As a member of MSIGA, Delaware poker sites may share player pools with states like Nevada and New Jersey to boost the player pool across all member states. As a result, Delaware players will benefit from busier tables, better cash games, and bigger tournaments when online poker returns.
Poker Games in Delaware
When they were active, Delaware’s three poker sites hosted cash games and tournaments 24 hours a day.
Cash game traffic varied based on the time of day and stakes. Players could find a fair amount of traffic around the clock at the micro-stakes on up to about $1/$2, but traffic at the mid and higher-stakes cash games was sporadic.
Tournaments ran 24/7 as well, but the biggest events and most traffic occurred during East Coast evening hours.
No-Limit Hold’em was the most popular online poker format in Delaware, with Pot-Limit Omaha securing the number two position. Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or better) tables also ran occasionally.
Delaware poker sites also hosted sit-n-go tournaments (SNGs), with lottery-style BLAST SNGs accounting for most of the action. Four-player BLAST SNGs run like standard sit-n-go tournaments, except players compete for random prize pools ranging from 2x to 10,000x the buyin.
List of Delaware Poker Rooms
Delaware had three live poker rooms in the past, but two have since closed. Delaware Park operates the state’s only live poker room today.
- Delaware Park Poker Room: The Delaware Park poker room can fit up to 25 tables, although players should expect closer to 3-5 tables on a typical evening. The poker room is open daily from 11 AM to 3 AM.
- Bally’s Dover Poker Room (Closed): Bally’s Corporation purchased and rebranded Dover Downs in late 2021 but closed the former 18-table Crown Royal poker room.
- Harrington Raceway Poker Room (closed): The poker room at Harrington Raceway hosted ten tables with daily cash games and regular tournaments, but it closed during COVID-19 and never reopened.
Delaware Online Poker Deposits
If Rush Street Gaming relaunches online poker in Delaware, players can expect a standard array of deposit methods. However, only time will tell when Delaware online poker returns and which deposit methods will be available.
Poker players will be able to fund their accounts from anywhere, but geolocation technology ensures players can only participate in real money games when physically located within state lines.
Under state law, DE poker sites must verify the age and identity of every customer. Delaware also requires poker sites to collect personal information from every new customer to verify their ages and identities.
BetRivers accepts the following deposit methods for its Delaware online casino, so players will likely have similar options when online poker returns.
Delaware Online Poker History
It’s fitting that “The First State” was the first state to legalize online poker.
Delaware lawmakers legalized online poker and gambling by introducing HB 333 in May 2012. Governor Jack Markell signed the bill into law on June 29th, 2012, to make Delaware the first state in the US to pass legislation legalizing online poker.
The first Delaware online casinos launched in late October 2013, and online poker followed that November.
At first, Delaware poker sites struggled with low traffic due to the state’s small population. However, Delaware reached an important milestone in February 2014 when the governors of Delaware and Nevada signed an agreement to share player pools across state lines. Interstate poker between Delaware and Nevada commenced just over a year later.
New Jersey joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) in 2017, and the three states have shared player pools since. West Virginia and Michigan have also joined MSIGA since.
888 Holdings held a monopoly over online poker in Delaware for a decade, but its contract with the state lottery expired in 2023. During that time, 888 Holdings displayed no interest in innovating, and Delaware’s poker sites remained extremely outdated.
In late 2023, the Delaware Lottery established a new contract with Rush Street Gaming to launch BetRivers Online Sportsbook and Casino. Although Rush Street Interactive does not yet offer online poker, all signs point to it launching an online poker site sometime in the future.
Delaware Poker FAQ
Alicia is a regular contributor to BettingUSA.com providing fresh insight and a factual take on current events within the gambling industry.