The Delaware Lottery reported a sports betting handle of $17.1 million for January, its highest amount in over two years as BetRivers made an instant impact for the First State’s entrance into the mobile sports betting space.
Delaware’s handle for January was more than double the $8.5 million generated in the first month of 2023 and 93.3% higher than the $8.8 million worth of bets that closed out the year. The $2.9 million in gross revenue was up 23.1% compared to 12 months prior but also down 5.9% from December as retail sales — which are parlays — totaled $2.3 million. That was less than half of December’s $5.2 million handle and 29.2% lower than January 2023.
The state collected $1.1 million in tax revenue, down roughly $148,000 from last year as the Delaware Lottery’s share of receipts from the state’s three horse racing tracks that BetRivers operates through is substantially less than its retail sales.
How Delaware arrived at mobile betting
Delaware was the first state to launch sports wagering in June 2018, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA. The First State, however, only authorized retail betting through the state lottery.