Sports betting on the horizon
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The legal sports betting in D.C Washington is almost on the horizon after the Amendment Act in 2018 to legalize sports betting. The new D.C. law permits sports betting in the federal capital where there are no casinos. The closest place to Washington with legal sports betting is a casino in Charles Town, West Virginia.
Lately, New Jersey is viewed as the crown jewel of sports betting models with wagers more than any other betting state, surpassing Nevada and even Las Vegas.
Early in May 2018, The Supreme Court struck down the law that banned sports betting in most U.S. states. Since the end of the federal ban, Washington DC has been on passing legalization.
Intralot, a Greek company managing lottery and sports betting in many states of the U.S, is given the opportunity to run all online/ mobile sports betting operations.
In this way without any casinos and horse tracks, so-called the traditional gambling establishments, Washington D.C. embraces online and mobile betting options.
Outlining the most important outlook
- Sports betting is expected to be officially legal early in the spring of 2019;
- All sports betting activity will be supervised by the DC lottery;
- The revenue tax for operators of 10%;
- All sports betting in DC will be controlled by DC Lottery and monopoly will be given on mobile sports betting;
- Professional Sports Venues will have the rights of banning at their venues
Class A- Licenses with the major sports arenas will be:
- Elizabeth’s East Entertainment and Sports Arena, Nationals Park, Audi Field, and the Capital One Arena. Each of them must pay a license fee of $250,000 lasting for 5 years. They will be immune to Intralot monopoly;
- RFK Stadium is on federal land and gambling will not be allowed
Class B Licenses:
Include any other business looking for a break into the gaming space with a license of $50,000 valid for five years. The retailers can purchase a two- year’s license for $5,000.
Washington D.C. sports betting
Fans can expect a large selection of sports, leagues, and kinds of wagers to be available in Washington DC
Residents will have the chance to support their favorite teams with a great choice of bets on the following sports disciplines:
- Basketball, soccer, baseball;
- Golf, Hockey; martial arts, League of Legends;
- Football, Tennis;
Sports betting locations in Washington D.C.
Sport betting fans can find gambling outlets at:
- sports venues;
- licensed sports bars;
- stadiums;
- convenience store kiosks;
- Lottery controlled mobile app.
The future of sports betting
The final rules haven’t been announced yet, as the new law is in the process of passing. The aim is to have sportsbooks open by the time the 2019 NFL season begins in the early September.
By the new legalization, the District hopes to bring gambling to the legal market with a profit of $17.1 million in tax next year.
It is still unclear if there will be one law which will cover the whole country or if the government will allow each state to decide when and how to legislate sports betting. If the latter occurs, then we don’t expect sports betting to be available in all 50 states at once.