D.C. Mayor Proposes Striking Down Problem Gambling Fund

• Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed for the D.C. budget to axe the $200K annual problem gambling fund.
• Officials stated that they believe diverting the money to a general fund and allocating money to programs as needed is the course of action.
• Despite betting first happening in 2020, the Department of Behavioral Health has reportedly not spent a single penny due to not fielding any “qualified bids”.

WASHINGTON D.C. – A major change is brewing in D.C., with journalists noting that a curious change in the district’s budget seeks to get rid of funding for problem gambling. Further inquiry found that the presiding department had not issued any money from the fund, putting into question the reasoning of Mayor Bowser’s proposal.

With the general proliferation of gambling and legal betting sites across the U.S., many jurisdictions have made it a priority to set up funds and programs to combat problem gambling. As many as 10 million Americans suffer from gambling addiction, making D.C.’s decision all the more bewildering.

D.C.’s Plan to Move Forward

Back in 2018 when it first became viable to legalize sports betting, D.C. was one of the first areas in the U.S. to move ahead with legalization. They did so and further included amendment that would set up support programs via tax revenue collected from gambling facilities.

Those amendments would go on to create the “Birth-to-Three for all DC” program. This set up a trio of programs to receive the collected revenue, including the aforementioned Problem Gambling Fund, the Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Fund, and a fund to aid the Metropolitan Police Department.

Now, the District is saying that it will be rethinking the appropriation of those funds, likely moving the money into a general fund where they claim they will assign money for problem gambling as needed.

However, Martin Austermuhle, D.C.’s NPR reporter has said that the District has yet to assign any of the $200K since the first bet was placed in 2020, which the district cited as being due to not receiving any qualified grant applicant bids. The exact meaning of this is questionable, and the District has not elaborated on future plans to use the diverted $200K.

Huge Concerns are Brewing

This is all very concerning for advocates of responsible gambling. Not only has Mayor Bowser pushed to remove all of the funding for specifically problem gambling programs, but the district has not even used a dime since legal D.C. betting began in 2020.

This brings into question the motives of the government since if they plan to appropriate money as needed from the general fund, what exactly makes the money “needed” if none has been spent over three years?

If the plan to repeal the funding succeeds, D.C. will become the tenth jurisdiction in the U.S. without funding for problem gambling.

While speculative, it is possible that D.C. plans to move the money into a general fund so they may undertake unrelated programs for the citizens. Yet, casting problem gambling by the wayside is a dangerous proposition, and it could lead to damaging outcomes for the gamblers in the district that are suffering from addiction or similar issues.

Overall, D.C.’s move to strip the funding from this program neglects the growing need to combat the downsides of legalizing sports betting, and casts doubt on the motives of the government due to their track record of not using the money.

News tags: D.C. Department of Behavioral Health | Martin Austermuhle | Metropolitan Police Department | Muriel Bowser | NPR | Washington D.C.