D.C. Lottery To Soon Allow Sports Betting

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The DC Lottery will soon be offering a sports betting service online by the end of June.

Many states are starting to look at sports betting as a potential option moving forward to become a source of revenue. State budgets across the country will feel the financial hurt that the coronavirus will leave behind.

Next up for sports betting is the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. They will able to accomplish this by running sports betting directly through the government-run lottery.

The D.C Lottery website reads:

“Act 22-594, the Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018, as amended by Act 23-2, was signed into law on January 23, 2019, and transmitted to the U.S. Congress for review on February 7, 2019. This legislation cleared congressional review and became law on May 3, 2019. The law legalized sports wagering in the District of Columbia.”

This will be a valuable source of revenue for D.C. moving forward, with the ability to start slow during the shutdown of many leagues.

“While we recognize there will be a limited number of events to wager on, this ‘soft launch’ will provide us with an opportunity to roll out the GambetDC website to potential players in the District in preparation for the return of sports,” the D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming said in a statement to the Washington Post.

GambetDC will be their online service for sports bettors in the D.C. area. The site will be up and running by the end of June.

The Gambet DC website says, “GambetDC is Washington, D.C.’s world-class sports betting platform that allows you to wager while in the District on major sports worldwide with ease from your mobile phone or computer.”

The Failed Launch

The lottery initially hoped to launch last fall, just in time for the NFL season. But the city faced a lawsuit over a no-bid contract for control of mobile wagering in the area. A judge then blocked the unveiling of the service.

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Then they ran into bad luck, like most of the country did, during the coronavirus shutdown. After the first failed attempt, they tried again in March of this year. It would have been just in time for the MLB season.

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Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, is bringing a William Hill sportsbook to Capital One Arena.

However, with much of the sports world on hold because of the coronavirus, they decided to withhold the launch. They pushed it back until now, announcing that it will soon be up and running.

“The (GambetDC) website will be available to the general public with this release,” the D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming’s statement said. “The native iOS and Android apps will be unveiled in early June. A full-scale advertising and marketing campaign promoting GambetDC will launch as soon as there is a more robust schedule of major sporting events.”

Sports to Bet On

They stated that this would give them some time for a soft launch, but a growing number of sports are returning. Many unpopular sports in the US are even beginning to gain attention from those who wish to bet.

The German soccer league will be one of the avenues for new bettors in the area. Along with that, the UFC has continued to push through and fight without spectators.

Golf is also about to be back. Shortly after the Tiger/Peyton and Phil/Brady charity match, the PGA Tour has already scheduled its return.

And NASCAR is now holding live events, which will generate plenty of bets from fans in the US.

A big sports name in the D.C. area, Ted Leonsis, plans to open his doors for William Hill in the future. The owner of the Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics has announced he will be welcoming the sportsbooks into Capital One Arena.

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