WASHINGTON DC SPORTS BETTING IS SET FOR LOCAL EXPANSION

Sports betting in our nation’s capital is finally going to expand further into D.C.’s local business community. The local business community has been hoping to expand beyond the current GambetDC kiosks that are in operation.

A supplier license has been awarded to Elys Game Technologies. And, a Class B license has been awarded to Grand Central LLC. Both allocations took place on August 26th of this year, according to an update to the application status report.

Back in November 2020, both companies submitted their completed application packets. However, the process was elongated due to a national emergency as well as the acquisition of US Bookmaking by Elys Game Technologies.

GambetDC only started its rollout of its sports betting kiosks in the DC area back in July of this year. The kiosks are currently operating in local businesses, namely bars and restaurants. And, the rollout is expected to continue throughout this year. So, Washington DC sports betting is still building its foundation.

Due to the long length of the DC sports betting licensing process, the need to install betting hardware, and the need to train staff members, Grand Central faces some obstacles. These obstacles will prevent the company from launching their DC sports betting operation in time for the September 9th start of the NFL season. However, the company still hopes to be able to take advantage of NFL betting this season.

Elys Game Technologies will also not be able to launch prior to the start of the NFL season, according to a release from the company. It seeks to launch its retail sports betting operations in or around October of this year. Next year, the company hopes to expand into on-premise DC mobile sports betting.

Class B licenses, unlike the Class A licenses held by professional sports organizations, do not give the licensee a two-block radius for their mobile operations. As of now, a Class A application that was submitted by the FanDuel Sportsbook back in June is still under review.

Intralot, the company that provides the technology for GambetDC, is shifting the blame for GambetDC’s shortcomings to the DC Lottery. The U.S. CEO feels it is the DC Lottery’s fault that GamBet is not able to compete with the likes of Caesars and BetMGM. The DC Lottery is in charge of the decisions surrounding GambetDC, including its payouts and design.

The CEO feels that GamBetDC needs to offer more competitive odds that are more in line with those offered by private operators. He says the payout needs to be raised to be competitive or the other options for legal gambling in DC need to be restricted. He feels GamBetDC is being hindered by its lower payouts.

His statements are the result of the fact that the DC Lottery has not met the financial expectations that were set for DC sports betting. But, the DC Lottery is not willing to shoulder the blame just yet. Revenue could also be hampered by the fact that the DC Lottery gives Intralot 42.5% of the gross revenue from sports betting sales, in accordance with the deal they made.

Currently, the Office of the DC Auditor is compiling a report that will examine all of GamBetDC’s operations since its launch. The sportsbook is the only one that is currently available in the nation’s capital. It has been lagging far behind other sports betting operators’ market shares according to its July revenue report.

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry expert. You can learn more about our author's expertise here.