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Delaware celebrated the 234th anniversary of becoming the first state to ratify the United States Constitution in 2021, but that isn’t the only thing it celebrated. 2021 was also the best year yet for Delaware online gambling revenue.
The DE Lottery reported a record holder for the state’s online casino, lottery, and poker channels. If early returns from 2022 are any indication, the new record-high might not stand long.
Delaware online gambling revenue hits new high in 2021
In 2021, the win for the online gambling industry in DE totaled over $10.6 million. That’s an increase of over 26.2% in comparison to the hold for 2020. According to the state’s audit, player spending grew by more than 35% during the year.
That total hit $308.8 million, far up from 2020’s $228.7 million. That meant a hold percentage of around 3.4% across all segments. Online gambling products under Delaware Park‘s license ed for the largest chunk of the revenue at $4.2 million.
Dover Downs was the middle of the pack at $3.6 million, and the Harrington Raceway brought up the rear at $2.8 million. While the entire year represented a bumper crop of sorts, the final two months are really what put 2021 over the top.
November and December returns come in strong
December 2021 represented the single most-lucrative month for online gaming in Delaware ever. During that month, the DE Lottery and its licensees held over $1.1 million. That came just a month after another highwater mark.
In November of last year, the same collected $996,629 in revenue. At that time, that was a state record. A look at player spending reveals why the revenue figures were so high. In December of 2021, gamblers wagered over $35.5 million.
That is not only a record in and of itself for a single month in Delaware but also more than double what players spent in the same month in 2020. December of 2020 saw bets totaling just $17.5 million.
Should the DE Lottery expect this trend to continue? Early figures for the year so far suggest that it isn’t unwarranted.
2022 might leave 2021 in the dust
Looking at online gaming figures alone, without online lottery sales taken into , January and February of this year have performed well. Between those two months, players have spent over $53.6 million, and the hold came to just south of $2 million.
With the rest of the year ahead of it, Delaware’s online gambling revenue could sur that $10.6 million figure in 2022. If that happens, the 235th anniversary of becoming the First State will rank first.
