An amended version of Delaware’s House Bill 333, which would authorize online gambling beyond the state’s three existing “racinos”, passed the state’s House Tuesday on a 29-8 vote.
The bill now moves to Delaware’s state Senate for further consideration, after House changes added revenue-sharing for the state’s established horse racing industry.
One of the state’s two major horse racing organizations, the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association, had strenuously protested the earlier version of the bill.
Additional protections were also created for vendors already in the business of selling the state’s lottery offerings.
The bill, if passed, would open up several avenues of online gambling for Delaware’s residents. Online slots and table games highlight SB 333’s offerings, but online lottery-ticket sales, including parlay betting on NFL games, is also included in the package.
The amendment also calls for online gamblers to wager using prepaid debit cards purchased at existing brick-and-mortar vendors, to ensure online revenue stays with businesses approved under the bill.
Formally titled the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012, the bill also provides for the expansion of sales far beyond the three existing racinos, which have been in business since the early 1990s at Dover Downs, Delaware Park and Harrington Raceway. The racinos would still join in the expansion of gambling services.
