DC Sports Betting Becomes Legal
The East Coast has been on a run of late, recently legalizing RI sports betting and PA sports betting. And NJ sportsbooks have taken in almost $1 billion in bets in less than six months. And now DC sports betting is legal, passing by a vote of 10-2 by the DC Counsil on Dec. 18, 2018. Councilmember for Ward 2, Jack Evans was one of the prime leaders in getting sports betting to pass in DC. The two council members who opposed the bill were Brianne Nadeau and David Grosso.
What Is In the DC Sports Betting Bill?
The Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act would allow operators to apply for two sports betting licenses, Class A and Class B. The Class A license would allow these businesses to operate within facilities located at four of the city’s stadiums and arenas. These four locations are:
- Nationals Park
- Audi Field
- Capital One Arena
- St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena
Class A Licenses cost $250,000 each and are for five years.
There are currently some unknowns, but these facilities could have in-person sportsbooks, as well as mobile sportsbooks for online sports betting.
DC Online Sports Betting Available In Bars & Restaurants
The Class B license would allow sports betting at other locations, such as bars and restaurants. These locations must be at least two blocks away from the four locations associated with the first license. It appears Class B licenses will only allow mobile sports betting.
Class B sports betting licenses are for five years at a cost of $50,000. There are also two-year retail licenses that cost $5,000 each.
DC iLottery App Offers Sports Betting
The DC Lottery is in charge of regulating legal sports betting, and the Lottery may operate its own facilities. The DC Lottery is also in line to be the only mobiles sports betting app that will can be accessed off of a licensed facility. Therefore, the DC Lottery will be the only option for bettors who want to place a bet on their phone who are not in a licensed facility, such as their home.
The DC Lottery offers several games including Powerball, Lucky For Life, Mega Millions, DC Keno, The Lucky One, Dc Fast Play, Race2Riches, Scratchers and Tap-n-Play. And although there is a DC Lottery mobile app to allow users to find retailers, results and special offers, there is currently no way for users to buy tickets online.
But the DC Lottery app opens up many possibilities for mobile users, and once they begin to take sports bets, we expect their lottery games to be not far behind.
DC Sportsbooks To Be Taxed On Revenue
DC would receive money from license fees and place a tax of 10 percent on a sports betting operator’s revenue. DC Chief Financial Officer, Jeffrey DeWitt, expects DC to take in about $92 million over the next four years. The money received will be put toward the NEAR Act, which is a violence prevention program and a new bill that expands affordable child care options. There will also be money that goes to fund treatment for gambling addiction.
DC Online Sports Betting Could Arrive As Early As Spring
DC does not have any land-based casinos, but that isn’t going to stop sports betting from being at the fingertips of every DC resident. According to the bill:
“A sports wagering operator license authorizes the operation of sports wagering at locations approved by the office and through any internet, mobile application or other digital platforms.”
A handful of council members have expressed an urgency in getting a DC mobile app out on the market before Maryland sports betting or Virginia sports betting become legal.
An emergency measure was passed on Tuesday, allowing the bill will to become law almost immediately, allowing the DC Lottery to begin preparing regulations for sports betting.
DC sports betting follows in the footsteps of NJ sports betting, WV sports betting, PA sports betting, MS sports betting, RI sports betting and DE sports betting, which all became legal in 2018. It is speculated that DC sports betting will be live as soon as spring of next year.