Washington, D.C. online sports betting laws

Like many states, Washington, D.C. moved fast when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was struck down in May 2018.

That move effectively opened the way for states (and the federal District of Colombia) to allow sports betting and Act 22-594 , the Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018, as amended by Act 23-2 , was signed into law on January 23, 2019. This legislation cleared congressional review and became law on May 3, 2019.

The Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) is now the regulatory body for all licensed sports betting in the District of Columbia, as well as the lottery and charitable gaming.

However, for various reasons, Washington, D.C. sports betting has not taken off at the same rate as it has in other states across the US.

One of the key reasons is that there are no casinos in the state, so no obvious places from which to launch sportsbooks. Thus, the City of DC is looking to professional sports arenas, as well as bars and restaurants, as locations to host its retail sportsbooks.

William Hill opened the first retail sportsbook at the Capital One Arena in May 2021. This opening made history as the first ever sports betting venue to operate within a U.S. professional sports arena. The sportsbook operator had begun taking wagers at the Capital One box office, which it was using as a temporary sportsbook, in July 2020, and launched its mobile app (on which you may place wagers only within a 2-block radius of Capital One Arena) in December of 2020.

The only district-wide mobile app currently licensed in DC, GambetDC, launched in May of 2020. Operated by the DC Lottery and powered by Intralot, the GambetDCapp has failed to make as serious an impression on the local betting market as its retail-based rival, William Hill.

This is a reversal of the usual trend, where online and mobile betting turnover far outweighs its land-based counterpart.

The likely reason for this? It could be that the prices being offered at GambetDC are uncompetitive. The margins on the moneyline are also tilted too far in the operator’s favor. Just compare William Hill’s handle of $51 million in bets for 2021 to GambetDC’s $17.5 million for the year. And this disparity exists even though the district-wide app had launched two months earlier than William Hill’s temporary retail sportsbook at Capital One Arena.

William Hill’s retail outlet at the Capital One Arena started as a few pop-up kiosks. When fully upgraded in 2021, it will include ten self-service desks, 12 ticket windows, two VIP areas and a large event space.

Users can also download an app so that they can bet online while on the premises, or within a couple of blocks. William Hill has also shrewdly raised their profile in the DC area. Their compelling sports betting offering is now complemented by their status as official betting partner of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals – who both play at the Capital One Arena – as well as the Washington Mystics.

Additional operators are entering the retail betting space in 2021. This includes BetMGM, which was granted their provisional Class A Operator license for a book at Nationals Park on June 4, 2021 and launched on June 10, 2021. You can now place a sports bet at a BetMGM kiosk in Nationals Park or from your mobile devices near or in the Park.

In addition, Betfair Interactive US just submitted their Class A Operator license application to the OLG on June 8, 2021.

There are also two hopefuls chasing Class B applications at hotels, bars, or restaurants at this time. Handle 19 was leading the way here, but in February 2021 it withdrew its application with the indication that it will apply again later in the year.

Yes. The IRS views money made through sports betting, like other forms of gambling, as taxable income. It’s a good idea to keep a close record of all the bets you place and declare any winnings on your annual tax return. When you bet through a sportsbook, it will keep a record of your winnings and report wins over a certain threshold to the IRS.

In many states, the minimum age for wagering is 21. However, you can enjoy Washington, D.C. sports betting from the age of 18 onwards.

GambetDC, the only district-wide Washington, D.C. online betting option currently available, can be accessed only when you are in the district.

The app comes with geofencing technology that can tell if you are outside the boundaries of the district and, therefore, not allowed to wager through it.

This restriction also applies to the monumental and governmental core of the city, much of the Potomac waterfront, and Rock Creek Park – another reason why take-up of the GambetDC app has not been as widespread as predicted.

You can bet on the best NCAA action when you are partaking in Washington, D.C. sports betting, but you can’t bet on the local teams. Wagering on college sides who are based in the district is not allowed under current legislation, even if the game that they’re playing in is outside the district. You also may not wager on any college games taking place within the District.

In keeping with many other states across the Union, Washington, D.C. also disallows wagers on high school teams.

Offering odds on political markets is forbidden for any sportsbook in the US, however in Washington, D.C., the heart of the country’s government, the restriction on betting on any election is keenly felt.