The emails were encouraging enough.
Attention, GambetDC Sportsbook customers, don’t leave funds in your digital wallet for the District of Columbia to claim for that pothole on New York Ave. — paraphrasing/embellishing — so log in now and withdraw before the Oct. 15 deadline.
Honestly, I’d forgotten I had money in an account. I’d registered and deposited the minimum more than three years ago on a quick swing through the area, and only to check another legal US sports betting jurisdiction off my bingo card. It hadn’t been an easy sign-up process and I pitied the locals forced to use the monopoly brand if they were outside the geo-fenced fiefdoms other sportsbooks had been allowed to set up around DC sports arenas.
I logged on.
$5.40.
No wonder I’d forgotten. And then I was quickly reminded why I’d left the money in there when I jetted out of Reagan.
Run by the ever-controversial Intralot, GambetDC frustrated and annoyed the locals for four years until the Office of Lottery and Gaming announced in April that FanDuel would replace it as the house brand and other operators would be allowed to gain mobile licenses. There’s now five. And Caesars replaced the GambetDC kiosks that were generally inoperable on my trip in 2021. The locals have responded as if pleased with the switch.
It soon became apparent that the DC-style red tape involved in this withdrawal wasn’t going to be worth it for a Lincoln and four FDRs.
A withdrawal attempt two years ago was immediately met with a demand for verifying documents. After a series of useless online chat conversations and some email exchanges with customer service, an agent informed me that GambetDC simply needed to confirm my identity.
But if my identity wasn’t confirmed, I asked, then why had I been allowed to bet?
The conversation ended there with both participants out of questions and answers.
Gaming Today has asked the DC Lottery how much remains unclaimed in GambetDC accounts and the reasoning behind the verification process.
GambetDC Withdrawal Deadline Looms
Tucked in all those reminder emails recently was an assurance that funds could be recovered using a non-digital method once the deadline expires. The thought of utilizing a paper process with this outfit was enough to elicit surrender again, however.
Enjoy the $5.40, DC, I thought. Consider us even for that time I ate something on the Metro.
But, wait. Certainly things must have changed, I thought as daily GambetDC emails continued over the next several days to implore me to bring my digital funds home.
So I tried. And it was 2021 all over again. I polled co-workers and friends who have either bet on stuff or write about those who do. None had heard of a verification process for withdrawals.
The very polite man on the customer service line said this was standard for all customers.
Back to the website. It asked for photographs of my driver’s license against a black background and after two failed attempts, they were accepted. The geolocation app it forced me to download was onboard and ready to beam my position back to the mother ship.
I refreshed the verification page.
Assuming the circle around the “i” meant “information,” the zero was the most genuine communication I’d received from GambetDC so far.
After a few more refreshes, confirmation came in.
Presumably, now the verification process would be snappily handled by the crack compliance staff and that $5.40 could be quickly handed over to another sportsbook app, DFS site or social casino.
Nah.
One day later, the $5.40 remains in the clutches of GambetDC, and not having to interact with it ever again will considered the price of doing (bad) business, barring a surprise.
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