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There is now sports betting at the Delaware Park Casino in Wilmington, DE. Not much has been said of the sports book, which caters, not only to Delaware gamblers, but also those in Philadelphia. Trying to find a review of the facility and its offerings are quite limited. This could be a good thing, but more likely it's bad.
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Wilmington is a mere 45 minute drive from Philadelphia and even closer to its southern suburbs.
The casino promotes its sports book as offering up-to-the-minute odds, large video walls and plenty of seating – all in a comfortable atmosphere! All the top sports popular with North Americans are offered for betting. The establishment should be brimming with action on Saturdays and Sundays during football season and especially the Super Bowl. Can it compete with the Atlantic City sports books and the online betting sites, all of which operate offshore?
Not surprisingly, with its close proximity to the Philadelphia area, Delaware Park's sports book won out over the state's other two sports wagering establishments in the month of June.
Delaware Park’s revenue for the period from the June 5 launch through June 24 was $264,000 vs. $57,000 for Dover Downs and just $31,000 for Harrington.
That 75 percent share for Delaware Park was no surprise to Vernon Kirk, the director of the Delaware Lottery – which oversees the gambling.
“It’s all just a matter of geography, with 70 percent of our population being in that county [of New Castle], and the proximity to Baltimore and Philadelphia,” Kirk said of the Stanton, DE racino site in the northern portion of the state.
Baltimore residents can reach the sports book in just over an hour.
Once the initial novelty wave settled, Kirk said the racinos were getting about $300,000 a day in combined bets.
For a number of years, Delaware has offered sports betting but only on parlays (one had to bet on multiple outcomes at once). A US Supreme Court ruling in May eliminated decades long prohibition on the activity, thus paving the way for Delaware to offer single bet options.
With this in mind, one would believe Delaware Park might have a leg up on the competition. Instead, they appear to be lax.
Pucking Hockey tweeted out July 12:
@delawarepark you’re a sportsbook. 3rd floor is for sports betting. Betting machines are always off to bet horses. Why are horses on the tv? Why are there baseball games, that are playing, not being aired?
Another gambler, Mak, tweeted out:
I thought @delawarepark would have Sports betting? No #MLS and no Boxing. You can’t call yourselves a Sports Book without odds for all sports. Very disappointed.
USA Today had its official review of the Delaware Park Sports Book, providing their opening day impression. First impressions are always important.
One-third of Delaware Park's sprawling racebook has been dedicated to sports betting. Twenty-six TVs on the wall, 10 rows of tables and chairs offer plenty of room to sit, watch and handicap. The old-school folks will appreciate the decor of Delaware Park, with its outdated carpeting, and classic red and green light bulbs on its betting board. If you concentrate hard enough, there is a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the air, even though cigarette smoking hasn't been allowed indoors in that state in over 15 years. Everything you need to bet, but few frills when we were there on opening day, June 5.
Based on these early assessments, the internationally licensed online sports books have little to worry about, especially since they offer online wagering and LIVE IN-PLAY betting on just about everything under the sun.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
