Delaware is moving to expand sports betting to match neighboring states.
The Internet Sports Lottery Legislative Working Group met last week as the state explores adding mobile sports betting.
The group is analyzing frameworks of mobile sports betting used in surrounding states to help come up with a model for Delaware.
The group heard from the Sports Betting Alliance – a coalition of legal sports betting platforms – and GeoComply – a Geolocation company that helps with sports betting compliance.
Jon Mandel with the Sports Betting Alliance says Washington DC hasn’t seen its retail gambling outlets – similar to Delaware’s current sports betting setup – suffer from mobile betting.
"Retail operations have continued to grow notwithstanding that there is a district-wide mobile app, there is private sports books run at the different professional sports stadiums, and Maryland and Virginia - which are right literally next door - have multiple mobile sports wager apps," said Mandel.
Mandel notes mobile sports betting will help stamp out the illegal market, provide responsible game tools and consumer protections, and generate new tax revenues.
John Pappas with GeoComply says last football season saw many Delawareans log on sports mobile betting apps without being able to bet.
"During the NFL season - so this is from September 8 through the Super Bowl - we saw 4.15 million geolocation transactions within the state of Delaware. It's a small state, there's only a million people here," said Pappas.
Those attempts were from over 112,000 sports wagering accounts. 11,424 actually traveled across state lines to gamble with 234 doing it over Super Bowl weekend.
