Delaware governor John Carney made history yesterday by placing the first official US sports wager outside Nevada at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. He bet $10 on the Philadelphia Phillies to defeat the Chicago Cubs in their Major League Baseball game on Tuesday night.

With Tuesday’s official opening, Delaware is the first state outside of Nevada to offer full sports betting. Carney commented: “Delaware became ‘The First State’ not too far from here. We’re delighted to be first again. I’m a big Philadelphia sports fan. I won’t be betting on any other teams except ones from Philadelphia.”

“We’re excited about this new option for gamblers to enjoy,” said Ed Sutor, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino’s president and CEO. “Our football parlay cards have been popular for several years and these offerings give our guests plenty of additional avenues to test their skills.”

The Tuesday afternoon launch event, while heavily publicised, was not oversubscribed, with some observers citing a greater presence of regional TV and radio affiliates than eager bettors. The first regular customer after Carney was Long Island resident Stu Feiner who placed a ‘four nickel’ bet on four Major League baseball games.

Expectations at Dover Downs for a gold rush are being downplayed by Denis McGlynn, the company’s president and CEO of Gaming and Entertainment. He predicted that while single game sports betting will be good for bettors, it is unlikely to add much to Dover Downs’ bottom line. Single game wagers bring narrow profit margins because they are relatively easy bets to win advised McGlynn, adding that they could displace high margin parlay bets.