D.C. Sports Betting Will Launch Despite The Lack Of Active Sports

• D.C. sportsbooks are set to launch at the end of March.
• Upcoming sportsbooks in D.C. are preparing to launch without any major sports to bet on.

WASHINGTON – Despite the lack of sports to wager on, Washington D.C. sportsbooks are set to launch by the end of March.

It has been more than a year since sports betting was formally legalized in Washington D.C. Launching in March would have been a good start for new sportsbooks. March Madness, NBA, and NHL games fuel the end of the month. But with COVID-19 (coronavirus) putting a stop to sports leagues, there are hardly any sports to bet on.

“We are revising our launch strategy now based on the current state of world events/no games happening, but we will be ready to fully debut our sports book when it is safe for the sports world to return to the court, field, etc.,” said an Office of Lottery and Gaming spokesperson to Washington City Paper.

March Madness is one of the most wagered on events in the sports betting world. Launching with this event would have been a beneficial boost to new and upcoming sportsbooks. But March Madness has been canceled altogether, leaving new D.C. sportsbooks high and dry.

There are very few sports that are currently active in the world right now. There are Turkish and Russian soccer games, and darts matches that are active. There are also some horse races, although legal sports betting locations do not typically accept horse bets. That is usually left for horse tracks.

D.C. sportsbooks have had a long streak of troubles ever since it first was legalized. Now with the coronavirus pandemic happening, it seems D.C. sports betting will have a bad start. It is highly unlikely that D.C. sportsbooks will meet their projected revenue profits in 2020.

However, there is a benefit to launching sooner rather than later. Once the sports leagues are back in action, D.C. sportsbooks will be available for bettors in the area. D.C. bettors could look forward to bet on sports again once the fears about the coronavirus are over.

News tags: Coronavirus | COVID-19 | D.C. | March Madness | NBA | NHL | Washington D.C.