Competition is always a good thing. When companies have to compete for customers, they are more inclined to provide better customer service and deals. When states have to compete for revenue streams, they’re more prone to push legislation, instead of taking five-hour lunch breaks. With what Delaware’s online gambling market is producing, consumers and legislations everywhere are going to find greater deals. The state has released its gambling figures for August, and the numbers are going to make other states jealous.
Delaware’s population is under one million, but its gambling activity seems to reflect a much larger customer base. According to the state’s report, August saw net revenue from online gambling of $808,623 – 263.4% more than the $222,504 it reported a year earlier. This was also an uptick from the $702,533 the state saw in July, with a total July-to-August increase of 15.1%.
Gamblers in the state were also big winners. The gross take for table games was $8.41 million and, for video lottery options, it was $11.41 million, for a combined total of around $19.83 million. Out of this, the amount won was $19.08 million. This came as Delaware saw only 571 new online users sign up in the month, the lowest figure since February. The busiest month of this year was April, when 1,410 new registrants were recorded.
Dover Down took the lead in the state, reporting $331,457 in revenue off of $7.8 million in gross take. Delaware Park moved from first to second after it took $7.4 million in gross revenue and kept $259,988 of that. Last was Harrington Raceway, which saw $217,179 in net revenue off $4.7 million spent by gamblers. These are the only three venues, so far, to have been approved by Delaware’s gambling regulator, the Delaware Lottery, to offer an online option.
The fact that a small state can produce such great results only proves the benefit of online gambling to states’ bank accounts. Across the U.S., where the segment has been legalized, it has outperformed its retail counterparts on a consistent basis. There are only a few states that have authorized online gambling, but the results, and the fact that the segment can operate during a global pandemic, will have legislators rethinking any opposition to opening up the space.
By now, everyone should know that gamblers are going to gamble, no matter what. Legalizing the activity brings in much-needed revenue for governments and allows them to introduce problem gambling solutions without having to take funds away from other budgetary items. If a small state like Delaware can produce results like this, there’s no telling what other, larger states can see.
