Delaware Horse Racing Betting
In-person and online horse racing betting are available in Delaware for fans 18 or older.
State law explicitly permits betting on horse races in person at Delaware racetracks, but online racebooks operate in a legal gray area. Nonetheless, most of the nation’s most prominent horse racing betting sites have operated in Delaware for years without issue.
Read on for the full rundown on the Delaware horse racing betting market. Below, we explain where it’s legal to bet on horse races, list which racebooks accept Delaware customers, and more.
Delaware Horse Racing Betting Sites
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Promotional offer valid and continues until further notice. Open to new AmWager account holders who have not previously opened an AmWager account. Individuals may only have one (1) AmWager account and may only qualify for a signup promotion one (1) time. The First Deposit Match Bonus promotion applies to the first deposit made; any subsequent deposits will not apply. The amount of the first deposit will determine the amount of the bonus and bets that must be placed to earn the bonus. For example, to qualify for the maximum bonus of $50, an initial deposit of $50 is required and total bets must equal $50 or more within 30 days of signing up. Cancelled wagers and refunded wagers are not eligible and will not be counted towards the promotion. The total promotional wagering credits will be credited to the AmWager account in a single deposit within seven (7) business days of meeting the betting requirements for this promotion. Any promotional wagering credits deposited to a player’s account must be wagered and cannot be withdrawn from the account. Any winnings from those wagers are cash and can be withdrawn. Any portion of the promotional credits unused expires after 30 days. Account must remain in good standing to be eligible for all promotions. Returned deposits during the promotional period will cancel eligibility to receive promotional wagering credit. Limit one promotional offer per household.
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Nearly all major online racebooks are available in Delaware. Also known as advance deposit wagering apps (ADWs), online racebooks in Delaware allow users to sign up for accounts, deposit funds, and place all the same types of bets online that they could place in person at the track.
Although Delaware does not regulate ADWs, the following racebooks provide secure online wagering because they are US-based and hold licenses in multiple other states.
Additionally, any wagers you place with these online racebooks go into the underlying tracks’ pari-mutuel pools, which means you receive the same odds as a bettor watching from the grandstand.
Legitimate Delaware Online Racebooks
The following horse racing betting sites are legitimate (licensed in at least one other state and have permission to offer wagering on every track they cover), and we have confirmed that they accept customers from Delaware.
- TwinSpires
- AmWager
- Iron Bets Racing
- FanDuel Racing
- Xpressbet
- 1/ST BET
- WatchandWager
- NYRA Bets
- TVG
- Keeneland Select
- Offtrackbetting.com
- PlayUp Racebook
- Hollywood Races
Delaware Horse Racetracks
Delaware is home to three active horse racetracks, two dedicated to harness racing, and one to thoroughbreds. Between the three, there’s live horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering happening somewhere in Delaware almost every month of the year.
All three Delaware horse racetracks also operate as the state’s only authorized off-track betting facilities where visitors may place simulcast wagers on races held elsewhere.
Delaware Park
777 Delaware Park Blvd.
Wilmington, DE, 19804
Delaware Park is the state’s only thoroughbred racetrack, with live racing running from May through October. Additionally, the Delaware Park Race Book offers simulcast wagering seven days a week.
Bally’s Dover
1131 N Dupont Hwy
Dover, Delaware
Bally’s Dover (sometimes still referred to as Dover Downs) is one of the nation’s more prestigious harness racetracks, home to multiple stakes races that attract the sport’s top talent. Its meet runs from November through April on a 5/8-mile oval inside Dover Motor Speedway.
The Race & Sportsbook also offers year-round simulcast wagering whenever Bally’s Dover isn’t hosting live races.
Harrington Raceway
18500 S. Dupont Highway
Harrington, DE 19952
Harrington Raceway has run harness races on its half-mile track every year since 1946, with live racing running from April through October. Murphy’s Race & Sports Book offers year-round simulcast wagering, starting at 11 AM every day.
Delaware Kentucky Derby Betting
There are two ways to watch and bet on the Kentucky Derby in Delaware without leaving the state.
The most convenient option is to use any advance deposit wagering platform contracted with Churchill Downs Inc., the parent company of the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs is notoriously selective in which online racebooks it works with, so not all ADWs offer Kentucky Derby betting in Delaware.
We recommend TwinSpires.com, which is Churchill Downs’ official online racebook app and website. It covers the Kentucky Derby every year, offers live simulcasting straight from the track, and accepts all the same types of wagers that visitors can place at Churchill Downs.
Alternatively, fans can visit any of Delaware’s three racetracks to bet on the Kentucky Derby and other Triple Crown races at each track’s simulcasting area:
- Bally’s Dover: The Race & Sportsbook
- Delaware Park: The Race & Sports Book
- Harrington Raceway: Murphy’s Race & Sports Book
Major Delaware Horse Races
The Delaware Handicap, also known as the Del Cap, is Delaware’s most prestigious race. The 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 race occurs at Delaware Park every September and features a purse of around $500,000, depending on the year.
Other major Delaware horse races include:
- G3 Delaware Oaks: $300,000, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 mile, Delaware Park
- Delaware Derby: $300,000, 3-year-olds, 1 1/16 mile, Delaware Park
- G3 Robert G. Dick Memorial: $250,000, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 3/8 mile, Delaware Park
- Battery Park Stakes: $200,000, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/8 mile, Delaware Park
- Cape Henlopen Stakes: $200,000, 3 and up, 1 1/2 mile, Delaware Park
- Endine Stakes: $200,000, fillies and mares 3 and up, 6 furlongs, Delaware Park
- Kent Stakes: $150,000, 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 mile, Delaware Park
- G2 Progress Pace: ~$275,000-, 3-year-old pacers, Bally’s Dover
- Matron Series: Eight races, $1,000,000+ total purses, 2- and 3-year-olds, Bally’s Dover
- Governor’s Day Program: ~$600,000 in purses on the Governor’s Day program in late July, highlighted by the Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) finals, Harrington Raceway
Delaware Horse Racing Betting Laws
Delaware law explicitly authorizes pari-mutuel wagering at licensed racetracks (including simulcast wagering on races held elsewhere via off-track betting at each licensed track).
Two regulatory bodies oversee horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering in Delaware:
- Thoroughbred Racing Commission: Regulates thoroughbred racing at Delaware Park
- Harness Racing Commission: Regulates harness racing at Bally’s Dover and Harrington Raceway
Online horse racing betting is also available but not explicitly authorized in Delaware (more on that below).
How Delaware Saved Live Racing
Delaware’s horse racing industry is larger and more competitive than one would expect for a state with a population of just over 1 million. That’s because Delaware was one of the first states to authorize casino games at licensed racetracks to support its local racing industry.
In 1994, the Delaware Legislature passed the Horse Racing Redevelopment Act to authorize video lottery machines run by the state lottery. In 2010, Delaware passed additional legislation authorizing table games like blackjack, roulette, and craps at licensed racetracks.
Under state law, a portion of each track’s casino gaming revenue funds horse racing purses, and each track must host live racing to maintain its casino license. In other words, horse racing is the price Delaware racetracks must pay to continue offering high-revenue casino games.
Is Online Horse Racing Betting Legal in Delaware?
It would be a stretch to call online horse racing betting “legal” in Delaware since the state has never legalized it and does not regulate ADWs.
In fact, Delaware law limits pari-mutuel wagering to occurring “within the enclosure” of a licensed horse meet “but not elsewhere” (3 DE Code § 10161). However, state authorities seem content to let horse racing betting apps serve customers located in Delaware.
Delaware lawmakers admitted as much in 2017 when considering HB 251 to legalize, regulate, and tax ADWs. In its original synopsis, the bill described advance deposit wagering as having “been practiced by Delaware residents without authority or regulation, providing no contribution to the State’s racing industry.”