Online poker is legal in Delaware and the state has been sharing its player pool with Nevada since 2015. Since then Delaware is now part of the trip-state shared player pool that went live in May 2018, with Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada all sharing liquidity.
As Nevada and Delaware have less than 4 million people combined, the tri-state player pool will bring an influx of nearly 9 million people to the market which should see a surge in popularity and demand for online poker games.
The three racinos in Delaware, Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway offer a monopoly of online poker in the state, each partnering with 888poker to bring online poker to Delaware’s residents. This means that whilst all of players will be on 888poker software each racino is accountable for operating their poker room and all are accountable to Delaware Lottery who masterminded the igaming regulations.
Unfortunately for players in Delaware they will miss out on shared WSOP.com promotions run in Nevada and New Jersey due to the monopoly by 888 as “we typically do not share WSOP specific tournaments with non-WSOP related sites,” the WSOP said. This means that the online WSOP bracelet events that are being run for the first time in 2018 to players outside of Nevada will not reach the shores of Delaware.
Back in 2014 the three racino operators put up the $500k needed for the initial application and 888 won the contract to be the monopoly supplier of gaming software. Dover Downs , Harrington Raceway and Delaware Park all compete within a closed market, offering players different incentives to join the same player pool.
Latest News on Delaware Online Poker:
Run It Once Poker 2.0: Galfond Teases US Online Poker Launch
A weekend tweet from poker pro Phil Galfond suggests that RSI, which purchased the RIO platform last year, will keep the Run It Once name in its future rollout of US online poker.
Delaware, 888, & the RFP. What Does It Mean for Online Poker?
888 will apply for the Delaware Lottery’s exclusive iGaming contract this year, but the door is still open for one of its rivals — especially BetMGM & PokerStars.
Will the Delaware Lottery Renew Its Exclusive Partnership with 888 or Look Elsewhere?
An official with the Lottery indicated that talks with 888 have been taking place for weeks. If the Lottery decides to end its partnership with 888, look for BetMGM, BetRivers, or PokerStars to make a move.
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