D.C. Approves Sports Betting Bill, Action Starts Soon

WASHINGTON – The D.C. Council gave the final push that D.C. B23-25 needed, passing it with an 8-4 vote on Tuesday.

D.C. Council members were able to successfully pass the bill before any of its surrounding states were able to pass their own legislation. This is because lawmaker Jack Evans was able to give Intralot the sole authority to run the mobile sports wagering platform for Washington, D.C.

A Faster Than Normal Process

Typically, sports betting operators would have to go through a bidding process against competitors to become a sports wagering licensee. However, Evans pushed for a proposal that would bypass the process and hand the contract directly to Intralot. The Council passed D.C. B22-944 a 7-6 vote earlier this month, expediting the entire process and granting Intralot the authority to run mobile sports betting in D.C.

As there are no casinos in the nation’s capital, mobile wagering is absolutely key for sports betting to be successful in Washington. Because of that, bettors will be able to wager on sports wherever they want while at D.C. instead of having to be in a physical location to mobile wager. Sports betting will also be allowed within existing stadiums and arenas.

The goal that lawmakers have set for this bill is to get sports wagering ready for the upcoming NFL season. Now that they have approved sports betting, D.C. wants to start capitalizing on the estimated $90 million in revenue that the first four years can generate. The taxes received from sports betting operators will go to both to violence prevention programs and early childhood education programs.

Concerns About Rushing Sports Betting

Although council members do want to fund these programs, David Grosso, Chairperson of the Committee on Education, expressed his concerns about rushing the bill through.

Grosso is worried that by skipping the competitive bidding process, the bill will tax low-income residents more severely than it would have if the normal competitive bidding process was completed. Grosso also has doubts about Intralot itself to be a reliable operator.

“We’re voting on legislation that is a rush to tax the poor, a rush to skirt procurement rules, and a rush to retain a company that was recently downgraded by Moody’s to B3 status which is a speculative grade and considered a high credit risk,” said Grosso.

Even with these concerns, the bill has been passed and is heading to Mayor Muriel Bowser for his signature. Once he signs the bill, a new contract is expected to be finalized within two months and then it will be submitted to the Council for approval. After the Council gives approves the contract, sports wagering is expected to become active by fall.