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Sports betting officially kicked off at Delaware's three casinos at 1:30 pm Tuesday. The first to place a bet was none other than that state's Governor John Carney.
ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted out Tuesday afternoon:
Delaware governor @JohnCarney makes Delaware’s first legal sports wager — a $10 bet on the Phillies money line to beat the Cubs tonight.
Delaware became the first state to begin offering legalized sports wagering following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last month which threw out decades old prohibition. Under the ruling, individual states will need to develop a legal framework.
The "First State" as it is named - and lived up to that nick Tuesday - already was exempt from the previous prohibition but could only offer parlay betting as opposed to single event wagering. Prior to the ruling, Nevada was the lone state allowing a full range of sports betting options.
Though the state itself is small and has a population under one million, one of its casinos is within a 45 minute drive of the Philadelphia area in neighboring Pennsylvania. That state was having a difficult time attracting sports betting firms due to the high tax rate it wishes to impose.
Gamblers will also have the ability to place LIVE IN-PLAY BETS on nationally televised games while in progress at any number of the few dozen internationally-licensed online sportsbooks that accept bets from Americans.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
