The landscape of DC sports betting will change on Monday, when Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM Sportsbook go live in the district.
Both sportsbooks essentially had a retail-only presence in the capital.
- A Capital One Arena partnership allowed Caesars to accept bets within two blocks of the NBA Washington Wizards and NHL Washington Capitals venue.
- BetMGM was anchored to a two-block radius surrounding Nationals Park, home of MLB’s Washington Nationals.
FanDuel has a still-new partnership with the D.C. Lottery to offer online sports betting to the rest of the city — with the exception of the White House, Capitol Hill, and Congressional office buildings. The FanDuel app won’t work at the National Mall, East Potomac Park, or Rock Creek Park, either.
DC sports betting will welcome three major brands within three months in 2024. FanDuel replaced the underwhelming GambetDC on April 15. GambetDC is in the process of closing out its books, including pending wagers.
Monday’s anticipated launches will end FanDuel’s brief citywide online betting monopoly. Look for the operator to end its partnership with the D.C. Lottery, where revenue was taxed at 40%. Instead, FanDuel will likely use its relationship with Audi Field and MLS’s D.C. United to match the 20% tax rates that Casesars and BetMGM enjoy.
The District has one more potential partnership through St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena. That’s home to the WNBA Washington Mystics (unless Caitlin Clark is coming to town).
Gambet Was a DC Sports Betting Flop
Washington, D.C., councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie drove an overhaul of the district’s sports betting market.
D.C.’s Office of Lottery and Gaming worked with Greece-based Interlot to develop GambetDC as the city’s exclusive sports betting contractor. The local start-up didn’t attract the same interest as a national brand, however.
- From the start of the D.C. fiscal year in October 2023 through the most recent numbers in May 2024, GambetDC accepted $40.1 million in bets. The numbers include most of the NFL season, all of the playoffs, including the Super Bowl, as well as March Madness bets.
- In comparison, FanDuel collected about $61 million in bets from its April 15, 2024 launch through the most recent May report. FD made its Washington, D.C., debut during a much slower part of the sports betting calendar.
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