Dc Lottery Sports Betting App

The DC Lottery says the launch of its citywide app for sports betting will be delayed once again.

The app initially was slated to be up and running this fall and had already been pushed back until January. Now, a Lottery spokesperson says the sports betting app will launch sometime during the first quarter of 2020.

Development of that app was halted for three weeks while the District's contract with the company developing it was challenged in court. A judge issued a temporary restraining order in September, which was later lifted in mid-October. The lawsuit is still pending.

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'Hopefully, the delay of the District-wide app won't translate to a further delay for us,' said gaming attorney Jeff Ifrah.

Ifrah organized Bet DC, a group of at least 28 restaurants and bars working together to develop a sports betting app to operate within their small business locations.

Sports Gambling Restriction Zones, Update

This interactive map shows the original 2-block zones shaded in pink. The blue outlines illustrate the updated, expanded boundaries of the two-block zones.
The restriction zones are for sports betting apps for Capital One Arena, Nats Park, Audi Field and the Entertainment and Sports Arena. The District app will not work in those locations. Other businesses within those zones cannot have their own sports betting app.

Source: Open Data DC
Credit: Anisa Holmes/NBC Washington

He was disappointed to see that the District has further restricted which small businesses can participate in sports betting with the expansion of four exclusivity zones. The District released updated maps designating those zones this week.

The zones are within a two-block radius of D.C.'s major sports venues where only the app affiliated with that venue will be permitted. The expanded zones block at least a half-dozen additional small businesses from participating in sports betting, when compared with the original zones released in August.

'We're extremely disappointed at this development,” Ifrah said. “We were expecting a small business-friendly amendment, not one that makes the situation worse.”

Ifrah represents two restaurants that appealed the original drawing of the zones, disputing the District's definition of two blocks. The owner of Willie's Brew and Cue told the News4 I-Team his business is three blocks from Nationals Park and he should not have been included in the zone and excluded from profiting from sports betting. Ifrah says DC Lottery has not formally ruled on the appeals, however the updated maps expanded the zones rather than reducing them.

A DC Lottery spokesperson told the I-Team the zones were 'final' back in August. That spokesperson now refers to them as 'draft maps,' saying 'slight revisions' were made for 'clarity purposes.'

On Dec. 3, D.C.'s four professional sports venues and small businesses interested in offering sports betting will be able to apply for Class A and Class B licenses.

'We're very excited to get started,' Ifrah said. 'We've been waiting for two months for these applications to become available. We trust that the lottery will be fair and transparent in awarding licenses.'

The DC Lottery said it expects to take 30-45 days to review the applications and begin approving licenses.

'Hopefully, they'll approve them quickly,' Ifrah said. 'We want to get going right away. We still hope to be live by the Super Bowl, and this gives us a shot.'

Legal Washington DC sports betting will still launch by the end of this month despite very few available sports.

DC’s Office of Lottery and Gaming confirmed the app will have a public launch by the end of March. The app is currently in the user acceptance testing phase to ensure functionality and compliance with DC and federal laws.

Quality assurance testing of the DC sports betting app is already complete.

Dc Lottery Sports Betting App

“We are revising our launch strategy now based on the current state of world events/no games happening, but we will be ready to fully debut our sportsbook when it is safe for the sports world to return to the court, field, etc.,” said Nicole Jordan, director of marketing and communications for the OLG.

More information, including the name of the app and brand advertising, will be announced in the coming weeks.

DC sports betting through Intralot could be ugly

The global sports shutdown by the coronavirus will delay Intralot from likely offering some terrible odds. The DC Lottery approved plenty of markets but most are suspended or canceled.

Intralot went live with its first US sports betting operation in Montana last week. Leagues and tournaments were canceled or postponed shortly after the launch but we still got some insight into Intralot’s offering.

What we learned isn’t particularly inspiring: the majority of moneyline odds offered by the Montana Lottery’s Sports Bet Montanawere worse for both sides compared to other US sportsbooks.

Intralot was the only possible supplier in Montana because sports betting was defined as a lottery game. Washington DC had other options but a councilmember with ties to a consulting firm that accepted money from Intralot helped push the deal through.

So far, Intralot has only won a lottery sports betting contract through a public bid in New Hampshire. DraftKings Sportsbook operates the app in New Hampshire.

Intralot not the only option

Dc Lottery Sports Betting Apps

More reasonable Washington DC sports betting likely is still possible.

Dc Lottery Sports Betting App Game

The District is also allowing bars and restaurants as well as sports venues to apply to launch their own sportsbooks as ClassA and B licensees.

Those apps will not be available throughout the District like Intralot’s will be and instead will be geofenced.

Dc Lottery Sports Betting Apps

For example, William Hill is partnering with Monumental Sports for a sportsbook in Capital One Arena. William Hill is currently the only other operator that has applied.