Must be 21+. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call or Text 1-800-GAMBLER.
More on the DC Sportsbook Expansion
With the expansion official, we can go into a little more depth about what this means for sports betting in the area. Before this expansion, the sports betting market in DC was a monopoly. The Office of Lottery and Gaming only gave a single exclusive contract to a company called Intralot. Their goal was to keep the sports betting revenue in-house creating Gambet DC. Unfortunately, Gambet DC failed when it fell well below the estimated gambling income. After that failure, Intralot partnered with FanDuel to provide the entire DC area with a sportsbook. That partnership began in April and ended on the 15th of July when Intralot’s exclusive contract expired with the city.
Since the expiration, the plan was to expand the number of licenses available for sportsbook operators to 7. This led providers like DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars to acquire a new A-license. This A-license allows operators to provide sportsbook service to anyone in the DC area.
However, sportsbooks such as DraftKings have already been operating in the city before this expansion. Well, DC has allowed sportsbooks to operate at arenas if that team played 90% of their home games within city limits. Teams such as the Wizards, Capitals, and Nationals met this qualification. So at the arena and within two blocks, these providers were allowed to run their books. These licenses still exist as well, they are just classified as C-licenses, which are cheaper to acquire and have a different revenue share than the A-license.
Overall, this is a win for sports betting in DC, opening up the floodgates for enthusiasts. We’re excited to see where it will go as the competition should be thick in the first few months to acquire new users. So keep an eye on the promotions because new users should see some amazing sign-up bonuses available as these sportsbooks come online.
21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-877-770-7867(CO), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA), Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
