On Tuesday 8, the District of Columbia voted on a measure that was aimed to bring legalized sports betting in the state as quickly as possible by hand the DC Lottery the contract to provide gaming services on the Washington territory. Everything kicked off in December 2108 when the D.C. Council overwhelming backed a sports betting bill that was calling for the legalization of the activity within city limits. According to the terms of bills, the city’s sports arenas and stadiums, as well as its local retailers, would be allowed to obtain betting licenses and the approved licensees would be subject to a 10 percent tax on their betting revenue.
The bill would still need to be approved by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and be reviewed by the Congress before it is implemented. These legislative pieces usually go through a 30-day review period during which they can either be signed or vetoed by the Mayor. Fortunately, the sports bill was passed alongside an emergency measure by the Council and therefore it was not subject to the 30-day period. This means that the Mayor was free to decide when and whether to sign the sports betting legislation and the accompanying measure.
As per the terms of the original bill, the interested gaming operators would be required to pay a $250,000 license fee before being approved for operation in the city. However, the bill was amended shortly before the scheduled vote with the proposed licensing fee being doubled to $500,000 for licenses for the provision of sports betting services as the city’s stadiums and $100,00 for venues located outside exclusivity zones which were outlined in the original version of the bill. In addition to that, the amendment further suggested that discounts be awarded to the operators that choose to form partnerships with local business.
Deal Moves Forward with Public Hearing in the Works
During the scheduled vote on Tuesday, January 8, the D.C. Council was about to take the fall. Chairman Phil Mendelson was set to introduce emergency legislation that would have allowed the lottery to override procurement regulations and bestow lucrative contract extension to Intralot, the Greek-based firm that has been operating the lottery for the past ten years. As it turns out, Intralot would also be getting the contract to run the city’s new sports betting system. It has been speculated that Mendelson pulled the emergency bill at the last minute because he had failed to get the required nine votes.
Now, the D.C. Council has decided not to move the sports betting measure forward as an emergency and the bill will now be proceeding as standard legislation which will need a public hearing. The public hearing will allow people to air out their opinions and views regarding whether the D.C. Lottery should be the sole vendor for legal sports betting in the district.
