Delaware Starts Legal Sports Betting Today Ahead Of The Rest

Delaware hopes to let you bet from your phone while passing through the state.

Today at 1:30 p.m. the state of Delaware will become only the second state other than Nevada to offer a complete single-game betting on sporting events. Since the Supreme Court decision to legalize sports betting came down less than a month ago Delaware is the first state to prove they are ready to start taking bets.

Their sportsbooks will offer a complete schedule of Major League Baseball Games, along with the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, plus international soccer, golf, and auto racing all on the gaming menu.

But Delaware is working on a way to make their sports books legal on mobile devices that could be a game changer. The state is working out the details of offering an app that would allow gamblers to make bets over their phones if they are “geo-located,’’ meaning physically present, in Delaware.

That means if someone is registered with the casinos, they could place a bet from their car or a train as they pass through the state.

Delaware is perfectly located on the nation’s busiest daily commuter train line from New York to Washington, D.C. Amtrak shuttle. 30 trains depart Penn Station in New York headed for Union State in Washington and vice versa stating from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Also, the I 95 corridor from Washington to New York is the single busiest stretch of highway in the country, So location and access, to massive amounts of commuters could help Delaware in their quest to get an edge over bigger states.

Very soon nearby states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania will quickly have their own single-bet systems up and running over the next three months. Like Delaware, the casino linked “geo-located,” app is likely to be a must-have in their gaming toolbox.

But in the end, it is all about location and that could be a big plus for Delaware.

Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.