Three Delaware casinos have not seen much benefit from online gaming in the state as the small amount of revenue generated has gone completely to the government.
Under Delaware’s online gaming laws, the first $3.75 million in revenue received during each fiscal year goes to the state before Dover Downs, Delaware Park and Harrington Raceway receive a share.
In the first fiscal year of online gaming, however, revenue did not reach that mark, meaning the three casinos were shut out. Delaware’s online gaming revenue for 2014 came in at only $2.1 million.
The state has been hampered by its small populations as online gaming is only open to gamblers physically located in the state. State officials, however, hope the recent Multi-State Poker Network formed with Nevada will improve revenue.
The network combines online poker pools with players from Nevada—which also has had low online revenue—and should increase the size of player pools and the amount of games offered.
But while that may help poker games, the state’s online casino and slots game still serve a population of just under one million.
“We can’t increase the population of Delaware,” state Lottery Director Vernon Kirk recently told delaware.newszap.com. “There are still a finite number of players.”
Analysts, however, are quick to note that the casinos aren’t likely to invest in marketing a system that gives them no return, and in fact, online gaming as a whole in the state could end unless something is done to either increase revenue or lower the state’s cut.
Meanwhile, the latest online revenue figures for the state aren’t showing a reversal. Online gambling in Delaware dropped 14 percent compared to February 2014. The $143,101 net revenue for online gambling for February 2015 is an 8 percent increase from January 2015.
There was a 17 percent increase in amounts wagered from January, however, rising from $2.9 million to $3.5 million.
Net revenue from online table games climbed 26 percent to $85,457 over January, while net revenue for video lottery games dropped 17 percent to $23,117 from $27,667. Net revenue from online poker rake and fees, however, dropped 54 percent to $34,526.
