Legal Online Blackjack in Delaware

Online blackjack is legal in Delaware. The First State made history in 2012 by becoming the first US state to legalise online gambling, and today you can play real-money blackjack at the state’s own licensed casino apps. This page gives the legality answer first, then covers how the game is played. For the full law breakdown and the current list of licensed apps, our Delaware online casinos guide carries the researched detail.

Is online blackjack legal in Delaware?

Yes. Delaware legalised online casino gambling under the 2012 Gaming Competitiveness Act, and the market went live in November 2013, the first of its kind in the United States. The Delaware Lottery operates it through the state’s three racinos, and since January 2024 the whole market runs on the BetRivers platform (Rush Street Interactive), which replaced the original 888 software. You must be at least 21 and within the state’s borders to play.

No Delaware statute targets an individual player for using an offshore site, and no player prosecutions are documented, but going offshore means leaving behind every protection the Lottery-run market provides, on top of a much shorter list of offshore sites that will take you at all. The licensed apps are the sensible route. For the full law breakdown, the current licensed casino apps and how Delaware compares with neighbouring states, see our Delaware online casinos guide. (Source: Delaware Lottery iGaming.)

How to play blackjack

The simplicity of online blackjack is a big part of its popularity in the First State. You can learn how to play within minutes.

The aim of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over, and to finish with a hand higher than the dealer’s. If your hand goes over 21 it is a bust, and you lose. If you and the dealer tie, it is a push, and your stake is returned.

At the start of the game you receive two face-up cards, while the dealer gets one card face down and one face up. If your first two cards do not form an instant blackjack, you can make any of these moves:

• Stand: take no more cards, either because you are confident your hand beats the dealer’s or because another card risks a bust.
• Hit: take another card because your hand is low or you want to improve it.
• Double down: double your bet before the dealer reveals the second card, taking exactly one more card.
• Split: if your two cards have the same value, split them into two separate hands, each played on its own.
• Surrender: give up the hand and forfeit half your stake when you judge it cannot win.

Basic blackjack tips

Chance decides the outcome of any single round, but your decisions shape the odds over time. A few standard basic-strategy pointers for a Delaware online blackjack game:

• Split a pair of 8s or a pair of aces every time.
• Stand on a pair of 9s when the dealer shows a 7.
• Surrender a hard 16 when the dealer shows a 9, 10 or ace.
• Stay away from insurance bets.
• Avoid tables that pay 6:5 on blackjack; always look for a 3:2 payout, which keeps the house edge lower.

To play every hand correctly rather than by rules of thumb, our basic strategy engine gives the mathematically correct move for any hand, and the strategy trainer drills it until it is automatic.

Where to go next

• Delaware online casinos: the full law breakdown and the current licensed apps.
• Blackjack rules: how the game is dealt and scored.
• Free online blackjack games: practise in the browser with no sign-up.
• Basic strategy engine and strategy trainer: play every hand correctly.