Sports betting at Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway

May 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under Bet on Sports in Delaware

Ok, whether it is a sports betting lottery system, single game betting or both, people want to know where they can go to bet on sports this fall in the state of Delaware. So far this is what we know:

At Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway, they (sports bettors) will find complexes that offer upscale accommodations, entertainment, food options that range from snack bars to gourmet meals, and plush sports books equipped with odds boards, trained cashiers, and scores of TVs tuned into games across the globe.

“We’ve got all the technology in place,” said Gentile, the Delaware Park GM. “We can be up and running whenever the state wants to start.”

Whatever form the sports gambling takes, operators said, the racinos won’t have to invest heavily in new infrastructure.

All three already have race books, where bettors can watch and wager on horse races and jai-alai matches. A few more cashiers, some additional training, a couple more flat-screen TVs, and maybe an additional snack bar or restaurant, and they said they’ll be ready to go.

“We’ve got more than 200 TVs and video boards already,” said Gentile. “And we’ve got all the other amenities in place too.”

Dover, which because of the economy recently scrapped plans for a $50 million addition that could have been used for a sports book and table games, will convert a now-empty, 7,500-square-foot restaurant on its site into a combined facility for sports and racing bettors.

“That will be plenty large enough most of the time,” said Sutor. “But we don’t know what will happen during those events that typically pack the books in Vegas, like Super Bowl weekend or the start of the NCAA tournament.”

Sutor and Gentile both said they hoped the lingering sports-betting questions would be resolved in time for the 2009 NFL season this fall.