Delaware residents can play live dealer online casino games for real money for the first time. The state’s new monopoly operator, BetRivers, signed a content partnership with the top US live dealer provider Evolution in March. At first, that included only slots from Evolution’s subsidiary studios. As of July 2, however, it includes a wide range of live dealer games as well.
Evolution’s products are available at all three Delaware online casinos, all of which use the BetRivers platform: Delaware Park Casino, Bally’s Dover Casino Resort, and Harrington Raceway & Casino.
According to Evolution, the starting lineup includes all the most popular casino table games:
- Roulette (including Lightning Roulette)
- Blackjack (including Infinite Blackjack)
- Baccarat
- Craps
- Casino Poker (Three-Card Poker & Ultimate Texas Hold ’em)
Notably absent from the list for now are Evolution’s live dealer game shows, such as the recently launched Crazy Time. However, that may be coming soon.
Evolution is streaming the games for Delaware from its studio in New Jersey. This is similar to the arrangement it has in West Virginia, except that those games stream out of Pennsylvania instead.
The difference means that Delaware residents will have access to a slightly different lineup of games than West Virginians. Their lineup will match what Evolution offers in NJ, while West Virginians share Pennsylvanians’ options, so long as the games get approval from the local regulator—the Delaware Lottery, in this case.
Jacob Claesson, Evolution’s North American CEO, said:
We are delighted to partner again with Rush Street Interactive for another momentous launch in Delaware. There has been huge anticipation around the arrival of our live online games in Delaware, particularly since our March 2024 online slots launch, as our unique and innovative live games are so well known and have proved so enormously popular in other US markets.
Delaware’s Long Wait for Live Dealer Games
Although “The First State” was also the first to legalize online casinos, it has been slow to add live casino products to the mix. Until now, the only way to play them legally was at sweepstakes social casinos, many of which now offer live dealer products from overseas suppliers.
From 2013 to 2023, the three Delaware online casinos were operated by 888 Holdings (now known as Evoke), which had a very traditional offering. The Delaware Lottery ended that contract this year, choosing BetRivers owner Rush Street Interactive as its new partner.
The state’s online casino revenue has skyrocketed thanks to the new product. One advantage BetRivers has provided the state is a much wider array of casino games. It has also added an online sports book. Unfortunately, the departure of 888 meant the loss of WSOP poker (which uses 888’s technology), but BetRivers may eventually launch its in-house poker product, formerly known as Run It Once Poker.
The long wait for live dealer games can’t be pinned entirely on 888, however. Until recently, residual uncertainty over the Wire Act made regulators hesitant to authorize out-of-state streaming. A state the size of Delaware doesn’t offer enough of a market to warrant the level of investment required for an in-state studio.
Fortunately, a 2022 lawsuit by IGT settled things once and for all: the Wire Act applies only to sports betting. That same year, West Virginia became the first state to authorize live dealer games hosted at another state’s studios.
Out-of-state streaming benefits players because it means that the market size won’t constrain the selection of games. One problem for Evolution in the US is that the larger online casino states require studios to be in-state. That means launching a new game requires investing in a separate studio for each state. Piggy-backing on other states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey means the small ones—West Virginia and Delaware—can potentially access anything available in the larger one. West Virginia online casinos, for instance, got access to Crazy Time on the same day it launched in Pennsylvania.
About the Author
