| Delaware sports bets to start on Sept. 1 |
Cook's comments came a day after a U.S. District Court judge denied a request from the major pro sports leagues and the NCAA for a preliminary injunction in their suit against the state.
Although it has been known for months that Delaware planned to allow bets on NFL regular-season games, which begin Sept. 10, this is the first time a state official has said the state's three horse-track-based casinos would so quickly offer a full range of sports betting.
"Our plan is to offer a wide variety," Cook said. "I think this has a huge potential to create a lot of buzz."
The decision to allow betting on all sports from the outset will have a major impact on business, said Ed Sutor, CEO of Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment, which has a Delaware casino. "Our biggest fear has been that if we didn't offer a full array of sports betting that it would create a bad first impression," he said.
Sutor said his company spent $5 million renovating its facility for sports betting. Cook said there would be about 75 sports-betting stations among the casinos.
There will be no difference between the sports and bets offered in Delaware and those available in Nevada, said Joe Asher, president and CEO of Brandywine Bookmaking, the company tapped by Delaware to provide odds in the state.
That last sentence is HUGE!!!
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