The tiny state of Delaware managed to bring in an amount of $322,000 in wagers in the first 24 hours of Tuesday, 5th June 2018, which was the day it began offering sports betting services. Delaware became the first state to offer the service after the Supreme Court tossed out the ban on the activity.
The state’s population is just over 960,000, with only a portion of which are old enough to place bets which makes the amount of $322,000 seem like quite a huge amount.
The very first official wager was placed by Governor James Carney, who placed a bet on the Philadelphia Phillies that beat the Chicago Cubs in a game played that evening. Other bets were taken at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, Harrington Raceway & Casino and Delaware Park Properties.
Governor Carney, commented on the new industry by saying that for them, it’s really an enhancement of their tourism industry. He added that it would attract a lot of visitors to their state, particularly at this time of year, during the summer, coming to their beautiful beaches south of there. He also said that they come there and stop at the casinos and do the slot machine and table gaming. Carney also said that this will be another opportunity for them.
Politicians and casino industry executives were keen to be the first to legalize sports betting as this can draw in visitors to gamble on different events throughout the world.
