Is online gambling legal in Delaware?

Delaware: status at a glance

A market run by the state itself

The Delaware State Lottery is the operator of record for the state's video lottery, sports lottery, table games and internet games, and its website is where it publishes them. For anyone checking what is lawful, the Lottery, not a separate commission, is the first stop.

The statute behind this is Title 29, chapter 48 of the Delaware Code, the State Lottery law. Its definitions section describes an "Internet lottery" as any lottery game in which the player's interaction with the game operated by the Office occurs over the Internet, and the definition reaches Internet ticket games, Internet video lottery and Internet table games. Section 4805 gives the Director authority to set standards for the conduct of the Internet lottery and to decide the type and number of sports lottery games and table games. Subsection (b)(19) tells the Office to make Internet lottery games available at websites and in a manner the Office determines, using technology to confirm that players are legally eligible to gamble.

The same chapter also defines "poker revenue" as the rake charged to players at poker tables, which is how poker appears in the statute: as a table game the state collects on. The Delaware online casino page covers the casinos and their platform, and the regulator page covers the agency side.

Ages and where the products are sold

The Lottery's home page states two age lines. A person must be 18 or older to buy Delaware Lottery tickets, and 21 or older to play video lottery, sports lottery, table games and internet games.

For sports wagering, the sources do not line up. The Lottery's own sports page says wagers are placed at Sports Pick retailers or at one of the three Delaware casino sportsbooks, and that wagers are not available on Delaware-based teams. That page does not mention an online sports product. Industry trackers, whose accuracy varies, list online sports betting through the Lottery as well, and trade press disagrees on launch details. The status table above follows the trackers. The Lottery's page is the only state statement read here, and it describes retail wagering. For the national picture see the sports betting by state overview.

Poker

The research behind the status table shows online poker as live in Delaware. The statute's treatment of poker revenue and table games fits a state-run poker offering, but the Lottery pages we read add no detail about poker. Trade trackers count six states with live online poker, Delaware among them, and the online poker states page sets it beside the others.

Sweepstakes casinos and the April 2025 order

No Delaware statute read for this overview names sweepstakes casinos. What exists is enforcement. Industry trackers and trade press report that the state's Division of Gaming Enforcement sent a cease-and-desist order to the operator of a sweepstakes slots platform in April 2025, with the order effective April 2, and that the platform withdrew from the state. Those reports say the regulator's position was that the product, offered by an unlicensed entity, conflicted with the Delaware Constitution, the Delaware Penal Code and the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012. The operator's reported response was that its games and promotions comply with the law. We did not find the state's own release, so these are trade press accounts, not a primary record, and the dispute between the parties is theirs.

For a resident, that means Delaware has a licensed, state-run route to online casino games, and a regulator that has acted against an unlicensed sweepstakes platform. The wider legal debate is laid out under are sweepstakes casinos legal, and states where they are banned lists where the law is firmer.

Neighbors

New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland each have their own rules, regulators and products, and Delaware's authority does not extend across a state line.

Help for a gambling problem

The footer of the Delaware Lottery's iGaming pages sends anyone with a gambling problem to the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems helpline, 1-888-850-8888, or to DEProblemGambling.org. The national helpline is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). More resources are on the responsible gambling page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I play at an online casino in Delaware?

Yes, through the state's authorized internet games, which run under the Delaware State Lottery. You must be 21 or older, according to the Lottery.

Is online sports betting live in Delaware?

The Lottery's sports page describes betting at retailers and the three casino sportsbooks. Industry trackers also list an online product. The sources differ, so the Lottery's own wording is the safer guide.

Is a sweepstakes casino legal in Delaware?

No statute read here addresses it. In April 2025 the state's gaming enforcement division ordered one sweepstakes operator to stop, as trade press reports.

Who regulates gambling in Delaware?

The Delaware State Lottery runs the authorized games under Title 29, chapter 48 of the Delaware Code, and its Director sets the rules for them.