Online Sports Betting in Delaware Now Live via Rush Street’s BetRivers
Delaware, a state known for its early adoption of sports betting, has launched its first mobile sports betting app.
Rush Street Gaming (RSI) launched its BetRivers sportsbook late last week in Delaware. It has now officially taken over from 888 Holding’s William Hill brand as the new partner of the Delaware Lottery.
Operated by Rush Street Interactive, BetRivers is now available to iOS and Android users. It has also taken over operations of the three Delaware retail sportsbooks previously under the William Hill brand.
The launch represents a strategic shift for Delaware, which had been one of the few states in the Mid-Atlantic region without legal mobile sports betting.
With this initiative, Delaware joins its neighboring markets, such as sports betting in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.
“We are honored to be selected by the Delaware State Lottery selection committee to provide online gaming operations in the First State,” said Richard Schwartz, CEO of RSI, in a statement in August.
“This partnership is yet another significant milestone for RSI, as the confidence of a state-backed organization, such as the Delaware Lottery, further validates the trust that lottery officials have in our award-winning online platform and customer service.”
Rush Street Interactive
Rush Street Interactive, the Chicago-based operator behind BetRivers, was officially appointed as the Delaware State Lottery’s vendor for online gambling in August 2023.
The partnership is scheduled to last five years. As well as online sports betting, BetRivers will now also operate retail sportsbooks at the three Delaware casinos, which are all partnered with the lottery.
RSI will be hoping that its new five-year lottery partnership will go more smoothly than its last such endeavor. The Connecticut Lottery Corporation recently replaced RSI with Fanatics as its provider for sports betting in Connecticut after disappointing market performance from BetRivers.
In Connecticut, the operator had to compete with DraftKings and FanDuel, who are the leading U.S. sportsbook operators. However, in Delaware, there is no such competition, with BetRivers as the sole option.
“Rush Street Interactive has established itself as a leading innovator in the industry, and is a respected iGaming and sports betting company,” said Helene Keeley, director of the Delaware Lottery.
“We are impressed not only with RSI’s successes in other jurisdictions, including neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but also its strong commitment to responsible gambling practices.”
More Competition in Delaware’s Future
The sole operator with a lottery partnership model has been established in Delaware since 2013. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, repealed in 2018, saw The First State granted an exemption, as it had an existing parlay bet sports betting market run by the lottery.
However, when states began fully legalizing sports betting in 2018, Delaware also quickly hopped on that. It became the second state to offer full sports betting, debuting retail sports betting at its three lottery-partnered casinos in June 2018.
Eventually, BetRivers could end up facing new challengers in the state. A recent report from a state working group concluded that a more diverse field of sports betting operators, instead of just one, would dramatically increase bettor interest, and therefore, revenues and taxes.
State Representative William Bush (D-29) was on that working group that analyzed the Delaware sports betting market.
“We think that having more is better for lotteries, because it creates more competition, it ensures that everyone has a good platform, and it allows more options for the public to choose what they want to do,” he told reporters last month.
Whether any changes would take effect before 2029, when RSI’s contract with the Delaware Lottery expires, is unknown.
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