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Casinos in the State of Delaware are offering a new type of football wager this NFL season--handicapping contests.
The Las Vegas-style contests began last week when the NFL season opened.
The contests are a big deal to bettors in the so-called First State because, unlike in Vegas, they aren't allowed to make straight bets on single NFL games.
Delaware state law only permits parlay betting and only on NFL games, and the parlays must be a minimum of three games.
In addition, there is no betting on NFL totals (over-unders) and no betting on any other sport.
So, with parlay bets of at least three NFL games the only game in town--until now--NFL bettors are welcoming a new type of NFL betting in the state's three casinos.
Here's how Delaware's NFL handicapping contest, called the Delaware State Lottery $100,000 Ultimate Pro Football Challenge, works:
The contest costs $250 to enter.
Contestants each week then select six NFL games and pick the pointspread winner in each game.
Each contestant gets a point for correctly picking a game vs. the spread.
At the end of the NFL regular season, the contestant with the most points--the person who has picked the most pointspread winners--receives a prize of $50,000 in cash.
The second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers will also receive cash prizes.
In addition, the 16-game NFL regular season will be broken down into four four-game segments, and cash prizes of $5,000 will be awarded to the top handicappers of each segment.
These mini-contests enable people to participate in the NFL handicapping competition if they get involved after the season begins.
Delaware has three casinos, which are actually combination racetracks and casinos and known locally as "racinos."
They are: Delaware Park in Wilmington, Dover Downs in Dover and Harrington Raceway in Harrington.
To participate in the NFL handicapping contest or bet on an NFL parlay in Delaware, you don't have to be a resident of the State of Delaware.
You do have to make the contest selections or bets in person, however, as no action is permtted via telephone or Internet.
Curiously, you only have to be 18 years old to make a wager on a horse race at a Delaware "racino," but you must be 21 years old to make a wager on an NFL parlay.
By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
