By Craig Anderson

DOVER — They’re at restaurants and bars, casinos and convenience stores.

All sorts of folks are placing one wager (or more) on this year’s Super Bowl.

So when the Rams and Bengals kick off Sunday night at 6:30, casual and serious fans alike will have some financial stake in the outcome.

Through the Delaware Sports Lottery, there are more than 300 betting options through single-game wagers and parlays.

And according to Delaware Lottery director Vern Kirk, the pro football championship draws interest like no other.

“The Super Bowl is a whole other kettle of fish,” he said. “People are betting that never made a wager in their life before or spend more than they ever have before, and it’s more of a happening. It’s an event more than anything else.”

The favorite bet remains a parlay card, where a bettor must nail at least three picks without a miss to cash in. Going 3-for-3 on a dollar bet earns $6.50, and that escalates with each additional pick. Going a nearly impossible 10-for-10 rakes in $800.

“We have a group of people, the customers, that just like the parlay cards, and there’s something visual about them,” Mr. Kirk said.

“You can hold them in your hand. They’re colorful. When they first come out in the middle of the week, you see some people in restaurants or whatever, sitting around the tables with their cards, their girlfriends, and everyone is figuring out what they want to do or not to do.”

When it comes to parlays, Mr. Kirk said, “There’s not only the fun, but you have odds that you could make multiple, multiple picks. The odds are against you, of course, but you can invest a small amount of money and win a lot, and that’s always attractive.”

Even with the arrival of single-event wagers in Delaware in June 2018, “It turns out the parlay cards have remained very popular,” Mr. Kirk said.

“I believe that’s all (the public) had for the first eight or nine years, and we cultivated a market for it. Adding the retailers was really good because that did produce the convenience of having not to go to the casino. Of course, though, with (the upcoming mobile app), you won’t have to go to the casino either.”

Preserving the popularity of parlay betting is crucial, Mr. Kirk said, since single-contest betting needs to have eight times the volume of sales to make the same profit as parlay cards do.

In fiscal year 2022, sports betting in Delaware generated $86.8 million in sales, compared to $86.4 million the year prior, Mr. Kirk said.

College and professional football bets generated $62 million in sales this season and held on to $15 million of it. The profit was shared among the state, casinos, retailers and Delaware standardbred and thoroughbred tracks.

Just like in sports, Delaware’s gambling industry is facing a challenge from casinos in the bordering states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Maryland opened sportsbooks in mid-December 2021. And Pennsylvania casinos can draw customers away from Delaware Park in Stanton, Mr. Kirk said.

Additionally, he noted, “Because of geography, New Jersey and West Virginia haven’t had a serious impact to date.”

But the First State has faced competition for dollars and wallets before.

“Delaware experienced the same competition with video lottery,” Mr. Kirk said. “After a monopoly for years, all the surrounding states built casinos. There was an initial hit, but our casinos remained competitive and more than held their own. Similarly, right now, Delaware is holding on to its sports-betting customers, not just in the casinos but also through its robust parlay card retailer business.”

Expanded options may be coming in Delaware. A mobile app to join in-person gambling is getting closer, Mr. Kirk said.

“We’re moving closer to a mobile app,” he said. “COVID slowed things down the past couple years, kind of interrupted our normal flow of events, but I think in the not-too-distant future, we’re going to try and get back to that and figure out a solution to introduce mobile without taking anything away from the retailers and the casinos.

“You have to figure out some way to share the money with them, but it’s a bit awkward with the lottery in the middle of it. In the long run, it’s going to be inevitable to move in that direction. You have to keep up with the times.”