Best online sportsbook Delaware doesn't work as a ranked list, because there is only one legal entry to rank. BetRivers has held an exclusive mobile sports betting contract with the Delaware Lottery since August 2023, and nothing in state law currently allows a second operator to apply.
The First State to Launch, the Last to Go Mobile
Delaware has an odd distinction in sports betting history: it was first, then it was last. On June 5, 2018 — days after the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban known as PASPA — Delaware launched single-game sports betting at its three casinos, Delaware Park, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and Harrington Raceway & Casino, making it the first state outside Nevada with legal sports wagering. Then the state sat on retail-only betting for more than five years while neighbors built mobile markets. Mobile wagering didn't arrive until BetRivers soft-launched on December 27, 2023, with a full rollout January 3, 2024, timed just ahead of Super Bowl 58.
Is BetRivers Legit in Delaware? It's the Lottery's Pick
Rush Street Interactive, BetRivers' operator, became the Delaware Lottery's official vendor for online sports betting and iGaming in August 2023 after a procurement process — not an open licensing round. RSI is publicly traded (NYSE: RSI), runs the Rivers Casino chain, and in Delaware operates both the sportsbook and the online casino, one of only five states (alongside Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) where it runs the full combination rather than sports betting alone.
How Safe Is Delaware's One-App Model?
Safety here isn't a brand question, it's a structure question. BetRivers answers to the Delaware Lottery directly, which keeps roughly 58% of gross sports betting revenue under the vendor arrangement, with the state's overall sports wagering split sending 50% to the general fund and the remainder to the racinos and horse racing. That is a tighter regulatory leash than a multi-operator state, even though it means a Delaware bettor has exactly one app to use instead of a dozen.
Delaware sports betting at a glance
- Retail launch: June 5, 2018 — first state outside Nevada
- Mobile launch: December 27, 2023 (soft), January 3, 2024 (full)
- Licensed mobile operators, ever: 1 (BetRivers / RSI)
- Regulator: Delaware Lottery
- Revenue split: 50% state, 40% racinos, 10% horse racing
Could That Change?
House Bill 365, introduced in 2024 by Reps. Franklin Cooke and William Bush, would have let each of the three racetrack casinos bring on up to two sportsbook partners apiece — six operators in place of one. The bill cleared a committee hearing but missed the legislature's June 30, 2024 adjournment without a floor vote. The Delaware Lottery and Rush Street Interactive both pushed back, warning that splitting the market would cut into the state's share of BetRivers' revenue. The bill was not revived, and as of 2026 the exclusive contract is still the law of the state.
None of this is a way to make money. It's 21+ entertainment running through one state-picked vendor, with the Delaware Lottery as the regulator of record and no second app waiting in the wings — at least not yet.
The short list
- 1. BetRivers — The only legal mobile sportsbook in the state
BetRivers has run under an exclusive vendor contract with the Delaware Lottery since Rush Street Interactive won the deal in August 2023. It is also one of just five RSI markets (with Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) where the online casino runs alongside the sportsbook, not sports betting alone. $250 Second Chance Bet on a losing first wager, up to 30 days to use it, odds of -200 or longer required.
The honest verdict
BetRivers is the pick because it is the only pick, and on the merits that is a less awkward answer than it sounds. Rush Street Interactive, the publicly traded (NYSE: RSI) operator behind it, runs both the sportsbook and the online casino in Delaware — one of only five states where RSI offers casino alongside sports betting — under direct Delaware Lottery oversight rather than an offshore license. The signup bonus here is a $250 Second Chance Bet, lower than the $500 version RSI runs in most of its other 14 states, which tracks with Delaware being a small, low-handle market rather than a promotional afterthought. A 2024 bill, House Bill 365, would have let each of the state's three racetrack casinos add up to two sportsbook partners apiece — six operators instead of one — but it missed its legislative deadline that June and was never revived to a floor vote. The Delaware Lottery and Rush Street both opposed it, and lawmakers worried a split market would shrink the roughly 58% of gross revenue the lottery currently collects. As of 2026, BetRivers' exclusive contract stands untouched. None of this is a way to make money — it is 21+ entertainment regulated by the Delaware Lottery, with the state taking 50% of revenue to its general fund and the rest split between the racinos and horse racing.
Questions this list actually answers
What is the best online sportsbook in Delaware?
BetRivers — not by a ranking, but because it is the only mobile sportsbook licensed in Delaware. There is no second app to compare it against; the Delaware Lottery has run a single exclusive vendor contract since mobile wagering began in December 2023.
Is online sports betting legal in Delaware?
Yes. Delaware launched retail single-game sports betting at its three casinos — Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway — on June 5, 2018, days after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, making it the first state outside Nevada to offer it. Mobile betting followed more than five years later, going live through BetRivers in a soft launch on December 27, 2023, with a full announcement January 3, 2024, just ahead of Super Bowl 58.
Why is BetRivers the only sportsbook app in Delaware?
Delaware's sports betting law routes the entire market through the Delaware Lottery rather than issuing separate operator licenses the way most states do. The Lottery picks one vendor; Rush Street Interactive, BetRivers' operator, won that vendor contract in August 2023. A 2024 bill to let the three casinos each add extra sportsbook partners missed its legislative deadline and never passed, so the exclusive arrangement remains as of 2026.
Is BetRivers safe and legit in Delaware?
Yes. It operates under direct Delaware Lottery oversight as the state's licensed vendor, not an offshore license, and Rush Street Interactive is a publicly traded company (NYSE: RSI) that also runs the physical Rivers Casino chain. The tradeoff isn't trust — it's choice. A Delaware bettor gets one regulated app instead of the dozen-plus some neighboring states license.
Could a second sportsbook app ever launch in Delaware?
Only if the legislature changes the underlying law. House Bill 365, introduced in 2024, would have let each of the three racetrack casinos bring on up to two sportsbook partners — six operators total — but it stalled in committee, missed the session's June 2024 deadline, and was not revived. The Delaware Lottery and Rush Street Interactive both opposed the change, partly over losing a share of BetRivers' roughly 58% revenue split with the state.
Why do I have to pick a casino if there's only one app?
BetRivers still requires a Delaware bettor to designate one of the state's three licensed casinos — Delaware Park, Dover Downs, or Harrington Raceway — as their account's affiliated property, a holdover from the retail-first structure the law was built around in 2018. It doesn't change the app, the odds, or which operator you're betting through; it's paperwork, not a second choice.