Del. Sports Lottery Expands to 31 Retailers Beginning Sunday

Internet, Mobile & Sports Betting

Del. Sports Lottery Expands to 31 Retailers Beginning Sunday

WBOC

By Michael Lopardi

Aug 03, 2012

FENWICK ISLAND, Del. - Retailers hope to hit the jackpot as sports lottery expands beyond Delaware casinos this weekend.

Beginning Sunday, 31 retailers will offer parlay tickets on National Football League games. The Delaware Lottery announced the locations on Friday; 14 sites are in Kent and Sussex counties.

"It's exciting but it is new. We're getting organized with it," said Wesley Hanna, owner of Harpoon Hanna's in Fenwick Island. "It will be a trial and error process."

Businesses underwent training this week and spent Friday preparing for the first wagers. Timing is important: the first preseason professional football game is scheduled for Sunday.

"We want to bring in business for our restaurant and bar," said Hanna. "We think that having the parlay wagering here can be a great benefit to our location."

Delaware lawmakers approved expansion of sports lottery this year, along with the game Keno and internet gambling. Previously, sports lottery wagers were only allowed at the state's licensed casinos.

As part of parlay tickets, customers must make at least three wagers and, regardless of the number of wagers, win all to take home cash. The minimum wager is $2.

"Football is already huge for us. Crazy huge," said Karen Fritz, general manager of Smitty McGee's in Selbyville. "That's just going to make it even bigger."

More than 70 businesses expressed interest in taking part in sports lottery, said Vernon Kirk, director of the Delaware Lottery. The state issued licenses to applicants based on business type, location, proximity to other retailers, floor traffic and design of business, Kirk said.

Kirk said the lottery had a limited number of machines available and needed time to complete administrative work for each site.

Despite struggles of their own, Delaware casinos supported the expansion.

"It'll be a nice partnership between us and the rest of the state," said Ed Sutor, CEO of Dover Downs Hotel and Casino.

As part of the deal, the state offered casinos a break in license fees expected to total $8 million, Sutor said.

"We're going to support the sports books around the state because if somebody hits a winner over $600, they can't cash it at the local bar," Sutor said. "They have to cash it at the casino. I'll be more than happy to cash all those big payoffs back here at our facility."

Most of the customers at Dover Downs come from out-of-state, Sutor explained. Those folks are unlikely to stop at one of the retailers to place a bet while already en route to the casino , he said. If anything, Sutor said growing competition from neighboring states, especially Maryland, is hurting Delaware casinos.

"We're more than happy to help with jobs and taxes but we also have to be competitive and right now it's not competitive," Sutor said.

The state expects to bring in roughly $1.5 million over the next year with the expansion, Kirk said.