Online sports betting in Washington, D.C., returned to customers after a temporary stoppage as companies waited for Mayor Muriel Bowser’s action on the city’s fiscal 2025 budget.
FanDuel paused betting Tuesday, while Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM halted their districtwide betting plans, as they awaited Bowser’s decision on the budget. The mayor returned the budget without a veto or her signature, but the move allowed sports betting to resume in the district.
Under the fiscal 2025 budget, other sports betting operators may operate within the District of Columbia, in addition to the previously lone betting app for the district, FanDuel. As of Wednesday, FanDuel resumed taking bets in Washington.
Caesars Sportsbook announced Wednesday it would begin accepting bets in most of the District of Columbia after previously being limited to the immediate area around Capital One Arena.
“Expanding access to our mobile sports betting app across the district will only enhance their fan experience, and we look forward to deepening the connection we’ve established with them since our historic opening in 2021,” Caesars Digital President Eric Hession said in a statement. “We’d like to thank Mayor Bowser, Chairman Mendelson, Councilmember McDuffie and the D.C. Council for their leadership on sports betting as well as the Office of Lottery and Gaming.”
BetMGM also announced its launch across most of Washington, D.C., after it was limited to the immediate area around Nationals Park.
“After three years of bringing unparalleled, omnichannel experiences to sports fans and supporting the D.C. metropolitan community through our partnership with the Washington Nationals, fans can now bet on their favorite teams with BetMGM across the District with our award-winning mobile app,” BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a statement.
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The legalization of sports betting has exploded across the country since the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision striking down a federal ban on it. As of July 2024, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized some form of sports betting.
Officials in Washington, D.C., have been optimistic about the revenue from sports betting since changing partners from GambetDC to FanDuel in April. With the new fiscal budget, sports betting has been expanded beyond only FanDuel.
