Legal Washington D.C. Sports Betting

Washington, D.C. Sports Betting Timeline

October 24, 2022 – Councilmember Elissa Silverman introduces DC sports betting bill – The Sports Wagering and Fair Competition Amendment Act of 2022. This would remove Intralot’s online sports betting monopoly and raise the tax rate to 15%.

March 3, 2022 – The D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming claims that the Super Bowl outage for iPhone users was a result of a failure by Intralot, their partnered gaming supplier, at a hearing.

February 14, 2022 – GambetDC is unavailable for iPhone users to bet on the Super Bowl after failing to receive approval from Apple for a required update ahead of kickoff.

February 1, 2022 – BetMGM launches their retail sportsbook at Nationals Park, home of the MLB’s Washington Nationals. The sportsbook operates daily, regardless of the Nationals’ schedule.

December 28, 2021 – D.C.’s three commercial online sportsbooks vastly outperform GambetDC, the D.C. Lottery-run platform.

September 9, 2021 – The Office of the District of Columbia Auditor declares that an audit revealed that GambetDC offers an inferior product compared to Caesars Sportsbook.

September 1, 2021 – The first Class B sports betting license is issued in Washington, D.C. to Grand Central LLC for Grand Central Bar and Grill.

December 29, 2020 – William Hill officially launches their Capital One Arena-based online sportsbook, available in a two-block radius of the arena.

August 31, 2020 – Retail sportsbooks launch in Washington, D.C.

August 3, 2020 – William Hill opens the first stadium-based sportsbook in the United States at the Capital One Arena.

May 28, 2020 – Online sportsbooks launch in Washington, D.C. and begin accepting wagers.

May 3, 2019 – B22-0944 is signed, officially regulating sports betting in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Sports Betting Rules And Regulations

Bettors must be 18 years of age or older to wager on sports; however, they will need to be 21 years of age or older to enter establishments such as bars that offer sportsbooks. The Gambet D.C. app allows users to register remotely as long as they validate their account’s email address. The Gambet D.C. app will not be available when within a two-block exclusivity zone of another sportsbook. The app utilizes geofencing technology to prevent users from betting in the app in these areas, as well as some cultural centers such as the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Once registered, users will need to verify their identity by providing a government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license, passport, or social security card. While D.C. offers a wide variety of events to bet on, there are no sportsbooks that offer eSports betting to date.

Washington, D.C. Sports Betting Restrictions

Sports bettors using D.C.-regulated sportsbooks will have some sports betting restrictions to keep in mind. Bettors will not be able to wager on any D.C.-based college teams, such as George Washington or Georgetown, nor will they be able to bet on college events that take place in D.C. Moreover, athletic events involving players that are not yet 18 years of age are not able to be wagered on, such as high school or Olympic events. Despite these restrictions, bettors can still access college and Olympic betting lines by using one of our recommended sportsbooks, such as Bovada.

Comparing D.C.’s Sports Betting Industry With Virginia And Maryland’s Industries

As members of the same major metropolitan area (colloquially referred to as the “DMV”), Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. each offer state-regulated sports betting, but the industries have their fair share of differences. For example, D.C. has a significantly lower tax rate on gross gaming revenues (10%) than Virginia and Maryland, who tax GGR at 15%. Another difference is the jurisdictions focus on either online or retail sportsbooks. D.C., for example, made a great effort to preserve the integrity of retail sportsbooks while still offering online sportsbooks. Virginia, on the other hand, only offers online sportsbooks, with no retail options available. Maryland, as of now, is a retail-only state, though they do plan to launch online sportsbooks in the near future.

Future D.C. Sportsbooks

Several smaller, Class-B-eligible venues have applied for a sports betting licenses in DC. These include Handle 19 (which also plans to launch a mobile app), Duffy’s Irish Pub, Wet Dog Tavern, and The Brig. These four venue would bring the total retail sportsbooks in D.C. to 13. But, the biggest focus for future DC sportsbooks is on the Cloakroom. Once Cloakroom DC opens, it will be the first strip club in the US with a sportsbook.

Aside from the DC stripclub sportsbook, Councilmember Elissa Silverman has plans to add more DC online sportsbooks. The councilmember filed a bill to permit an open market for online operators, essentially removing the sole operator status for Intralot. If approved, this would allow FanDuel in Washington DC as well as DraftKings and other sportsbooks.

Where To Bet On Sports In DC

There are four Class A locations in the DC area. Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park, and St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena. All of these facilities will have a two block zone surrounding their locations where sportsbooks have the ability to open with them for an added cost in licenses.

Capital One Arena is a 20,000 seat venue that is used for multiple sports organizations and their events. The NHL Washington Capitals play their games here. The Washington Wizards, the local NBA team also calls Capital One Arena home. Not only do these two professional teams use the venue, but it also holds college matchups for men’s basketball team, the Georgetown Hoyas. Sports fans that attend these events will be able to place wagers on the games and other sports competitions at the Capital One Arena sports betting venue.

Audi Field is home to Major League Soccer (MLS) team, DC United. The stadium seats 20,000 people at a time and will now have a sportsbook that will take bets on the games and other sporting events happening at the time. DC United has made a deal with Caesars Entertainment to be their official operator. This would allow Caesars to run their retail sports betting lounge within Audi Field as well as an online platform for the facility.

Nationals Park is home to Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Washington Nationals. There is enough seating for 41,888 fans. A sportsbook area will be set up within the stadium that will accept wagers on the baseball games in progress as well as other sports matchups. Allowing an onsite sports betting space is expected to be a huge hit among fans that go to the games. They will be able to get some action in on the game they’re watching live, adding to the overall experience.

St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena is a stadium with 4,200 seats available for spectators. The venue holds many different events at this location but is best known for being the home court of the Washington Mystics. They will have a sports betting area within their establishment where fans can go and bet on the games. They can also open up other sportsbooks within the two block radius of exclusivity given to licensed venues.

In addition, there are other retail sportsbooks available. Retail DC sportsbooks are available at Ben’s Next Door, Dirty Waters Sports Bar, Grand Central Restaurant and Bar, Lou’s City Bar, and Takoma Station Tavern.

Betting On The NFL In Washington DC

Local Washington betting fans looking to place action on the Washington Commanders this season have a few options to get in on the action. There is state-wide mobile betting available at the GambetDC mobile app. There are also options to wager online at the William Hill sportsbook but this can only be accessed within a two-block radius of the Capital One Arena. There are several retail sportsbooks that offer odds on the Commanders including the Audi Field, Nationals Park, St. Elizabeth’s East Entertainment and Sports Arena, and the Capital One Arena. There are more options for statewide mobile betting thanks to legal online sportsbooks. These operators have odds for all Washington games this season.

Betting On The Washington Commanders In D.C.

The Washington Commanders may not have tons of value for legal Super Bowl betting, but sportsbooks have hundred of player props that can be wagered on and individual game lines. Whether betting on the team to cover the spread in the regular season or betting on Carson Wentz to record the most passing yards in 2022, legal sportsbooks have odds constantly available for the Commanders. Washington covered the spread in 7 out of their 16 regular season games in 2021 but Carson Wentz led the Colts to a 10-7 AST record during the 2021 season, giving the Commanders and bettors hope for the future in DC.

How To Bet On The Hoyas In The District Of Columbia

Sports bettors of the District of Columbia can run into some issues when trying to place bets on in-district college events or on in-district college teams such as Georgetown and George Washington. This is due to local laws, which prevent bettors of the district from placing such wagers. District of Columbia bettors that would still like to bet on in-district colleges and events may do so by utilizing one of the many legal, overseas-based online sportsbooks. This type of sportsbook operates outside of U.S. federal, state, and local jurisdiction.

Washington D.C. Sports Betting Revenue

The D.C. Lottery releases D.C. sports betting revenue reports each month. Since launching in May of 2020, Washington D.C. has handled nearly $305 million in sports wagers, good for nearly $45 million in sports betting revenue. Washington D.C.’s strongest sports betting handle came in October 2021 ($26.3 million). During the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl the amount bet on sports in DC eclipsed $37.8 million.

FanDuel Sportsbook at Audi Stadium

FanDuel Sportsbook opened up its retail-only sportsbook on July 8th, 2021 at Audi Stadium, home to DC United. The popular national chain operates within the stadium with three betting windows, 18 or more sports betting kiosks, and 48+ televisions to watch the bets in action.

BetMGM

BetMGM is a top-tier, D.C. – regulated sportsbook available within two blocks of the Washington Nationals’ Nationals Park. It offers a wide variety of features, including live betting, and offers very valuable betting lines. The one negative aspect of BetMGM’s online sportsbook is that they do not offer in-district collegiate lines, meaning users will have to take to our recommended internationally-based sportsbooks for that type of betting action.

Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill

Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill is another top-tier, D.C.-regulated sportsbook with geographic restrictions. This sportsbook is only available within a two-block radius of Capital One Arena. Like the other established, state-regulated sportsbooks, Caesars offers a huge variety of betting lines, though none are available featuring in-district college sports.

GambetDC

GambetDC is the District of Columbia’s sole district-wide internet sportsbook, making online sports betting available throughout the district. While this is certainly a good thing for accessibility’s sake, the sportsbook, with a monopoly on sports betting throughout the district, offers fairly poor betting odds. It also does not offer in-district collegiate events or teams. Sports bettors would be wise to use an internationally-based online sportsbook, such as Bovada, which will offer much fairer lines.

Ben’s Next Door

Ben’s Next Door is a retail sportsbook in Washington, D.C., offering a huge variety of sports betting features and odds. As a land-based sportsbook, they offer a laundry list of features and betting odds compared to online sportsbooks, but the trade-off is that you must physically travel to the sportsbook to participate.

BetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park

The BetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park is another land-based sportsbook in D.C., tethered to the Washington Nationals’ Nationals Park. It is only accessible while on-location at the stadium, but there is a mobile app available within a two-block radius of the park.

Caesars Sportsbook at Capital One Arena

Caesars Sportsbook at Capital One Arena is a land-based sportsbook similarly located inside a professional sports stadium. It can only be accessed by traveling to the stadium itself, though – like Nationals Park – users can access the mobile app within two blocks of the stadium.

Dirty Waters Sports Bar

Dirty Waters sports bar offers a full-service sportsbook. As one of a handful of sportsbooks located at bars in DC, bettors would be hard-pressed to find somewhere better that they can combine the social aspect of bars with the fun of sports betting. Like all other D.C.-regulated sportsbooks, they cannot offer odds on in-district college teams or events.

Grand Central Restaraunt, Bar, & Sportsbook

Grand Central Restaurant has been a fixture of DC social life for years, and they finally have a regulated sportsbook available for customers. Bettors can grab a bite, sip on a cold drink, and bet on sports at this retail sportsbook. They offer a wide variety of betting odds, but do not offer betting odds on in-district college teams or events.

Lou’s City Bar

Lou’s City Bar is a favorite among DC locals, and now has a full-service retail sportsbook available for patrons, making it a top choice for sports bettors and bar-goers alike. While Lou’s City Bar offers a full-service sportsbook, they may not offer any odds on in-district college teams or events as a result of district regulations.

Takoma Station Tavern

The Takoma Station Tavern is the final in-district retail sportsbook in DC, and offers just as wide a variety of sportsbook features and betting odds as the other retail sportsbooks. Despite their expansive betting odds offerings, sports bettors will be unable to wager on in-district college teams or events.

Daily Fantasy Sports In DC.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is not regulated per se by the mere fact that there is no specific law for it. However, it is in fact a legal activity in the District, law or no law. Residents have the ability to participate in various DFS wagers and games through different sites. Doing so will in no way result in any kind of trouble unless of course you lose and then you’re out a few bucks that could’ve been used elsewhere. Other than that, it’s a perfectly legal and available pastime for fans of the game in Washington DC.