Sports betting legislation that was passed by Washington DC’s Mayor in January has now passed into law after a 60-day congressional review.
After months of discussion around the legislation, DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the legislation on 23 January 2019. This triggered a 60-day review period, where the bill was sent to DC Council for review, as it would have a financial impact on the district.
Now that the DC sports betting legislation has passed into law, the DC Lottery will be able to begin making preparations for the roll-out of mobile sports betting in DC.
In February, the DC Council approved Bill 23-25, a piece of legislation that allowed the DC Lottery to bypass the competitive bidding process for sports betting in the district.
As a result of this, the DC Lottery’s current lottery vendor, Intralot, was granted the contract to power the DC Lottery sports betting platform.
Where will I be able to bet on sports?
Under the sports betting legislation, the DC Lottery will roll out a mobile sports betting app, allowing punters to wager from anywhere within the district.
On top of mobile sports betting, retail land-based sports betting will be permitted in four sports venues located in DC. These venues are, the Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park and St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena.
At a conference hosted by the American Gaming Association in March, Ted Leonsis, owner of the Capitals and Wizards announced that he would be attaching a sportsbook to the Capital One Arena.
While speaking at the event, Leonsis said the former Greene Turtle restaurant could be converted into a sportsbook, and that patrons will be able to enter it without purchasing an event ticket.
None of the other venues in DC have signalled an interest in offering sports betting.
The DC Lottery has not yet set a date for the launch of its sports betting app.
