Delaware Gaming License
A Delaware gaming license is not one license, and not an operator license. Delaware runs online gambling as a state lottery monopoly, so no commercial online casino license exists in Delaware for private companies. What the state does license is gaming vendors, technology providers and employees. Delaware company incorporation is a separate service.
Key facts
| Regulator | Delaware State Lottery Office, with the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) running background investigations |
|---|---|
| Market model | State lottery monopoly. The Lottery runs online gambling, licensed private operators do not |
| Operator license for private companies | Does not exist |
| Online operators | Three racinos, fixed by statute: Delaware Park, Bally's Dover, Harrington Raceway and Casino |
| Platform | BetRivers, supplied by Rush Street Interactive on a five-year contract, live since January 2024 |
| What suppliers can license | Gaming vendor or service company, $4,000 for three years. Internet lottery technology provider, $5,000 for three years |
| Employee licenses | Key Employee $500 for three years. Gaming Employee $200 for four years |
| Main statute | 29 Del. C. Chapter 48 (State Lottery Act). Internet gaming enabled by the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012 (HB 333), which created 29 Del. C. §4826 |
| Minimum age | 21 |
| Shared poker liquidity | Yes, through the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) |
| Charitable gaming | Permits from the Board of Charitable Gaming, applications through DELPROS |
Five separate regimes hide behind the phrase Delaware gaming license: video lottery, table games, internet lottery operations, the sports lottery, and vendor and technology licensing. Delaware charitable gaming permits sit alongside them.
None of those is a license a private company applies for to launch its own online casino in Delaware. Two of them, gaming vendor and internet lottery technology provider, are open to suppliers.
Who regulates gambling in Delaware?
Four bodies share oversight. The Delaware State Lottery Office both regulates and operates internet lottery operations. The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), a division of the Delaware State Police, runs background and criminal investigations. The Delaware Racing Commission covers racing. The Board of Charitable Gaming handles charitable permits.
That dual role is the reason the market looks unusual. The Delaware State Lottery Office regulates the online offering and also operates it. No separate operator license exists because of that combination.
Charitable gaming sits outside this structure. Permits for bingo, raffles, Texas Hold'em and instant or sealed ticket games come from the Board of Charitable Gaming. The Board sits inside the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR), and applications go through DELPROS.
Can you get an online gambling license in Delaware?
No. Delaware runs online gambling as a state lottery monopoly, and no commercial Delaware online casino license is available to private companies. Online casino, poker and sports betting reach players through three racinos on one contracted platform. Market entry runs through state procurement, not through open licensing.
888 Holdings held the platform contract until it withdrew from the 2023 tender, citing the small size of the market and the cost of meeting technical specifications.
Rush Street Interactive won a five-year contract in its place. BetRivers went live across all three racinos in January 2024 and powers online casino, poker and sports betting for the state.
Which gaming licenses can suppliers actually obtain in Delaware?
Three license families are open to private companies in Delaware. A gaming vendor or service company license, $4,000 for a three-year term, covers gaming goods, technology and services. A non-gaming vendor license costs $2,000 for four years. Employee licenses cover individuals. The online platform contract is separate.
| License | Who needs it | Fee | Regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming vendor / service company | Suppliers of goods or services to a racino or to video lottery | $4,000 application and renewal | Video Lottery and Table Game Regulations 203-4.0 |
| Internet lottery technology provider | Suppliers of online platform technology, selected by RFP | $5,000 application and renewal | Internet Lottery Rules 206-5.0 |
| Employee licenses | Individuals in gaming roles | $200 to $500, or the fingerprinting cost | Video Lottery and Table Game Regulations 203 |
Gaming vendor / service company license
Regulation 203-4.0 of the Video Lottery and Table Game Regulations governs this license. The fee is $4,000 for both application and renewal. It covers goods or services supplied to a racino or to video lottery operations.
The DGE conducts the background investigation and you pay for it.
Internet lottery technology provider license
The online platform is contracted, not openly licensed. The Delaware State Lottery Office picks one technology provider through a request for proposals, which is how Rush Street Interactive won the contract in 2023. Regulation 206 sets a $5,000 application and renewal fee and a three-year license term. A final order of the Lottery Director raised the fee from $4,000 with effect from February 2026. The commercial gate is the RFP, not the fee.
A company already licensed as a gaming vendor does not need this second license. The regulation says so directly, which matters for suppliers who serve both the land-based and the online side.
Employee licenses
Individuals working in gaming carry their own licenses, each with its own term and fee. Key Employee runs three years at $500. Gaming Employee runs four years at $200. Gaming Room Service runs five years on first issue and six years on renewal, and its fee is the cost of fingerprinting rather than a set amount.
Fingerprinting through the State Bureau of Identification is charged separately and paid direct to that agency: $72 for a Delaware criminal history and $85 once the federal check is added.
How it works
How do you become a licensed Delaware gaming vendor?
Navigating the gaming license process can be complex. Here's a streamlined guide to each step.
Four steps lead to a Delaware gaming vendor license: pick the category, register the entity, pass the DGE investigation, then wait for the decision. Each step carries its own document set, and the investigation is the long pole. No published service standard sets a processing time for this route.
What are the requirements for a Delaware gaming vendor license?
Fitness and financial standing decide a Delaware gaming vendor license. Owners, directors and key employees pass DGE background investigation. Systems meet the technical and security standards set by the Delaware State Lottery Office. AML, KYC and responsible gaming policies apply, together with reporting obligations.
Fitness and standing
Background investigation of owners, directors, officers and key employees
Beneficial owners at 10% or more disclosed
No gambling-related offences in criminal history
Financial statements showing the business can meet its obligations
Systems and security
Technical standards set by the Delaware State Lottery Office
Certification for fairness, security and reliability of gaming systems
Data protection measures and platform stability
Independent testing where the category requires it
Compliance and reporting
AML and KYC policies with staff training
Responsible gaming programme: minimum player age 21, players physically in Delaware by geolocation, no cryptocurrency accepted, self-exclusion from one year to lifetime
Record keeping and revenue reporting
Notification of ownership or management changes
How much does a Delaware gaming license cost?
Delaware gaming license cost is modest next to operator licensing states, because the licenses on offer are supplier licenses. A gaming vendor license costs $4,000. An internet lottery technology provider license costs $5,000. Employee licenses run from $200 to $500, and a gaming room service employee pays only the fingerprinting cost. Background investigation is billed to you.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming vendor license | $4,000 | Application and renewal |
| Internet lottery technology provider license | $5,000 | Application and renewal. Not required if already a gaming vendor |
| Key Employee license | $500 | Three-year term |
| Gaming Employee license | $200 | Four-year term |
| DGE background investigation | Billed at cost | You pay it, and it scales with the number of people cleared |
Budget separately for the DGE background investigation. It is charged at cost rather than as a fixed fee, and it scales with the number of owners, directors and key employees who need clearing.
Renewal cost
Renewal matches the application fee. A gaming vendor license costs $4,000 to renew and an internet lottery technology provider license costs $5,000. File renewal applications at least 60 days before the license expires.
Employee licenses renew on their own cycles: Key Employee every three years at $500, Gaming Employee every four years at $200.
What taxes apply to Delaware gaming?
Delaware gaming taxes fall on the racinos and the Lottery, not on suppliers. Online table games carry 15.5% on the licensee plus a 4.5% purse supplement. Sports betting revenue splits 50% to the State General Fund, 40% to the racino as commission and 10% to racing purses.
Video lottery runs on a different split. Statute sets the state share at 42.5% of net proceeds. Actual distribution of video lottery revenue runs about 39% to the State General Fund, 43% to the racetracks as commission, 10% to horse racing purses and 8% in vendor fees. On sports betting, the Delaware Lottery monthly report for July 2026 put the state share at 53.2% of net proceeds, above the statutory 50%.
Internet video lottery carries an effective rate near 57%. That number is what leaves the operator: roughly 40% to the State General Fund, 10% to horse racing purses and 7% for leasing, servicing and central system monitoring. The tracks keep about 42%.
The split applies only after the first $3.75 million of proceeds each fiscal year goes to the State Lottery Fund. Table games also carry a $3,000,000 annual license-fee pool, set by 29 Del. C. §4819(d) for each fiscal year after 30 June 2023 and split pro rata among the three casinos by table game revenue.
The consequence for suppliers is indirect but real. Vendors pay no gaming tax, they price into a racino margin that is already thin, because the state's share of gaming revenue is among the highest in the United States.
Advantages of the Delaware gaming market
Delaware offers a mature and predictable regulated market. The state was first to launch full-scale single-game sports betting after PASPA fell in 2018. Oversight is stable, the rules are published, and Delaware shares online poker liquidity with other states through MSIGA.
Regulated since 2013, with published rules and a settled supervisor
First mover on single-game sports betting after the 2018 PASPA decision
Shared online poker liquidity through the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement
Low supplier licensing fees at $4,000
One accepted multi-jurisdictional disclosure form for suppliers licensed elsewhere
Disadvantages of the Delaware gaming market
The Delaware market is closed to new operators, and that is the decisive drawback. The population is small, the state's share of gaming revenue is among the highest in the country, game choice is narrow, and one contracted vendor serves all three racinos.
No operator license, so no route in for a private online casino brand
Small population, which caps revenue even at full market share
State take among the highest in the United States
Narrow game selection compared with open states
A single platform vendor, which limits supplier opportunities
888 walked away from the contract in 2023 over market size and technical cost, which tells you what the economics look like from the inside
How does Delaware compare with open US iGaming states?
Delaware is the outlier among US iGaming states: one platform, three venues, no operator license. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia license multiple operators and accept new entrants. If the goal is an operator launch rather than supply, those three states are the realistic route.
| State | Market model | Operator licenses | Route for a new operator | Online casino tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | State lottery monopoly | None available | No route. Supply the platform or the racinos | 15.5% table games plus 4.5% purse supplement. Internet video lottery about 57% effective |
| New Jersey | Multi-operator | Available | Partner with a licensed Atlantic City property | 19.75% since 1 July 2025, up from 15% |
| Pennsylvania | Multi-operator | Available | Interactive gaming certificate or partner with a certificate holder | 54% online slots, 16% online table games |
| West Virginia | Multi-operator | Available | Partner with one of the licensed casinos | 15% interactive wagering |
Read the table as navigation rather than as a ranking. Delaware suits a supplier who wants a low-cost United States license and a reference client. An operator who wants players needs a state that issues operator licenses.
Wider comparison across jurisdictions starts on our gambling license hub.
Why MGL
MGL scopes Delaware before any money moves, starting with the part most advisers skip: Delaware is a closed monopoly and there is no operator license to buy. That answer costs nothing and saves a wasted budget. Where Delaware does fit, the work is supplier licensing and the DGE background file.
Supplier licensing: gaming vendor and internet lottery technology provider, including the DGE background investigation
Delaware entity registration, kept clearly separate from gaming licensing
AML, KYC and responsible gaming policies, plus preparation for compliance review
Navigation to open operator states when Delaware is the wrong fit
Monitoring of proposals that would change the model, including HB 365
FAQ
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Yes. Online gambling has been legal in Delaware since 2013, but it runs as a state lottery monopoly under the Delaware State Lottery Office rather than as a licensed private market.
No. Delaware issues no commercial online casino license. Access to players runs through the three racinos contracted to the Delaware State Lottery Office, so the only licenses open to private companies are supplier and employee licenses.
Three racinos operate online casinos in Delaware: Delaware Park, Bally's Dover and Harrington Raceway and Casino. All three run on one platform supplied by Rush Street Interactive under the BetRivers brand.
The minimum gambling age in Delaware is 21 for casino gaming, online casino and sports betting.
Yes. The Board of Charitable Gaming issues permits for bingo, raffles, Texas Hold'em and instant or sealed ticket games. Applications go through the DELPROS system. The Board of Charitable Gaming is the current body, not the historical Delaware Gaming Control Board.
Delaware belongs to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which pools online poker players across member states and makes a small market viable for poker.
Opening the market has been discussed. HB 365 in 2024 proposed multiple Delaware sports betting licenses, and both the Lottery and Rush Street Interactive opposed it. The monopoly model remains in place.
Individual licenses apply: Key Employee, Gaming Employee and Gaming Room Service, each with its own term and fee, plus the cost of fingerprinting through the State Bureau of Identification.
Consequences range from corrective action to financial penalties, suspension and revocation of the license. The Division of Gaming Enforcement monitors compliance and reports to the Delaware State Lottery Office.
Residency in Delaware is not required for a supplier or employee license, and out-of-state applicants meet the same standards. A Delaware registered entity is still required.
There is no federal licence. Each state decides for itself, and most of them license neither online casino nor betting.
US gambling licensing, state by stateWhere a licence exists, where only betting is allowed, and what to run in the restOverviewDelaware runs online gaming as a state-lottery monopoly, so there is no commercial operator license to buy. MGL scopes vendor and technology-provider licensing, and points you to an open US state when that fits better.