Vernon Kirk, director of the Delaware Lottery says this year’s upcoming NFL season will most likely see more bettors. Football kicks off with the preseason schedule. Over 80 retailers, including restaurants, bars and stores, are accepting wagers.
Kirk is optimistic based on the number of players and winners in the past two years. In 2012, there were 55, 841 winners. Last year, that total jumped to 81,388 with 1.3 million wagers costing $13 million. Retailers made $900,000. In 2012, they made $605,000.
While Delaware has seen a decline in casino revenue because of competition from neighboring states, sports betting seems to be booming. Delaware, however, is the only state on the east coast that has legalized sports betting.
State lawmakers have implemented a plan to give Delaware’s casinos a boost—they will split the vendor slot fee and reduce casino debt by $10 million.
