Delaware Casinos Return to 24/7 Operations, as iGaming Flourishes

Posted on: July 26, 2024, 11:16h. 

Last updated on: July 26, 2024, 11:17h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Two casinos in Delaware have returned their gaming floors to around-the-clock operations for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in reduced hours.

Delaware casinos Bally's iGaming BetRivers
Bally’s Dover Casino & Resort is back open 24/7 for the first time since the pandemic. Bally’s joins Delaware Park in restoring around-the-clock gaming operations. (Image: AAA)

Bally’s Dover Casino & Resort this month announced that its slot machines, table games, and sportsbook are resuming 24/7 operations. The announcement came after Delaware Park Casino brought back around-the-clock gaming in January.

Bally’s previously closed between the hours of 4 am and 8 am Monday through Thursday morning. The casino was open 24 hours on the weekends.

We are thrilled to bring back the convenience and flexibility with our 24/7 operating hours,” said Bally’s Dover General Manager Nicholas Polcino. “This change reflects our dedication to enhancing the guest experience and meeting the needs of our diverse and vibrant community.”

Polcino told Delaware Online that the change of hours comes after the casino managed to hire 100 new employees, many of whom are trained in dealing cards. The Bally’s boss says table games will operate based on demand during the early morning hours.

Harrington Raceway & Casino, the third and only other casino in Delaware, is open 8 am to 4 am Monday through Friday and 24 hours on the weekends.

iGaming Growth 

The Delaware Lottery last August announced BetRivers as its new iGaming and sportsbook partner. The partnership came as a result of 888 Holdings dissolving its relationship with the state lottery after more than a decade.

Along with online gaming and in-person sports betting rights at the state’s three casinos, the BetRivers deal included an online sportsbook, something that was not provided to 888. Since taking over the Delaware Lottery’s iGaming, retail/online sports betting activities, BetRivers has seen a rush of new account registrations primarily because of the online sportsbook expansion. That’s translated to much higher monthly iGaming and sports betting proceeds.

For the first time in the history of the Delaware iGaming market, in June, monthly gross gaming revenue from interactive slots and tables exceeded $5M.

The $5M iGaming haul represented a 28% month-on-month surge when May GGR totaled about $3.9 million — then an all-time high. By comparison, June 2023 iGaming revenue totaled just $1.14 million.

Each of Delaware’s three casinos benefits from iGaming and sports betting. BetRivers directs 56% of the online win to the state’s General Fund. The remaining 44% is split between BetRivers and the casino that originated the online play through its website/app. 

iGaming Benefits

iGaming studies have claimed that online casinos complement brick-and-mortar play. A study commissioned by the Sports Betting Alliance and its members DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Fanatics, unveiled in March that in-person casino revenue generally increases upon the deployment of legal, regulated iGaming.

Researchers at the Analysis Group, an economic consulting and strategy firm based in Washington, DC, found that brick-and-mortar GGR in six states where iGaming is regulated report higher retail revenue than they did before iGaming was legalized.

The report summarized that land-based casino revenue in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Connecticut benefited from the introduction of online casino gambling. The researchers said land-based casino revenue increased about 4% after iGaming began.