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Washington D.C still finalizing the regulations before they officially prohibit advertising and betting in the state., Photo by ©Pixabay Sports Betting

Sports Betting in D.C. Will Not Launch in Time for the NFL Season

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 14 August 2019

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

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While businesses are still getting ready and officials finalizing the regulations, a delay of several weeks has become inevitable. The new regulations will include licensing requirements, advertising restrictions, and a prohibition on betting on local college sports. Sports and gaming companies have generated over 100 pages of comments regarding the draft set of rules that the D.C. Lottery, which will oversee sports betting, has put out.

States other than Nevada have had the opportunity to legalize sports betting ever since the U.S. Supreme Court made that decision in 2018.

Washington differs from the other 10 states that authorized sports betting because it has no horse tracks, casinos, or other traditional gambling locations which could expand toward it. The latest District law permits betting at restaurants, bars, arenas, and convenience store kiosks and allows the city to control a mobile betting digital app. Even so, city officials will not be accepting sports gambling license applications from local businesses and arenas until September.

Businesses partnering with already established companies that are licensed in other states, such as FanDuel and DraftKings, can obtain provisional licenses, whereas a full license would take somewhere between three and six months. The city hopes to pull gambling out of the shadows with its new industry, making it a legal market that is expected to add $17.1 million to next year’s tax dollars revenue.

Last month, D.C. Council approved a no-bid contract to allow Intralot, a Greek company, to develop the sports wagering app. Some of the council members were concerned about the ties of the subcontractor with local politicians and that it might suspend competitive bidding rules, but the final decision was that the city receives revenue that is too great to pass up.

Applications for an update to companies’ liquor licenses are already being accepted by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. Those would include the permission for sports wagering on site. Six establishments have already made that first step and are ready for sports gambling. It is also important to note that no businesses can get a license within a radius of two blocks from the arenas.

The Capital One Arena, where the Wizards and Washington Capitals reside, hopes to launch its sportsbook during this fall. In addition to being the city’s primary lottery contractor, Intralot will also oversee mobile sports betting for the D.C. Lottery. This will include providing kiosks for convenience and liquor stores, as well as other small retailers.

The mobile sports betting app is expected to be a popular way to place wagers on games and will not launch before January next year.

Other sports-wagering businesses can only have apps that work at their physical locations, while Intralot’s app is authorized to work even from home but only within city limits.

Bars are still polishing key details, including how to split the revenue with partners that plan to provide the set betting lines, odds, and kiosks. Other businesses are also attempting to position themselves to become a good place for in-person betting, and some sports bar owners claim they are still figuring out how to get kiosks from other companies. They submitted early applications to make sure they can launch quickly.