Legal Blog
D.C. Council Passes Sports Betting Bill
Update from Legalized Sports Betting In Your State? Not If, But When
On Tuesday February 19, 2019, the DC Council passed the Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018 (B 22-944), which permits retail, online and mobile sports gambling in the District. While the bill is subject to mayoral and Congressional review and approval, there were emergency measures also passed that will kick things into gear today.
DC sports online and mobile betting will operate on a lottery framework run by Intralot, the current lottery vendor in DC. In addition to mobile betting across the District, the law authorizes retail sportsbooks inside four sports venues: Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park, St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena. For now, these are the only brick and mortar venues allowed to obtain Class A licenses. These licenses are for 5 years, contain a two-block exclusivity provision, and cost $250,000.
In addition to these venues, other establishments may apply to offer wagering as Class B licensees. They receive the same options as Class A facilities, minus the two-block exclusivity. Class B sports betting licenses are also valid for five years, but they come at a discounted cost of $50,000. More limited two-year retail licenses cost $5,000 apiece.
Offit Kurman will continue to monitor the status of these developments, and in particular, the nature of licensing and regulation.
If you have any questions on this topic, contact Ian Thomas at
ABOUT IAN THOMAS
ithomas@offitkurman.com | 202-900-8592
Ian Thomas is an attorney in Offit Kurman’s Commercial Litigation practice group. Ian likes to apply a “think-outside-the-box” approach to litigation, through which he seeks to find creative ways to resolve each legal issue that his clients face. In applying this approach, Ian is able to identify a diverse and cost-effective set of options to resolve any legal problem that his clients encounter.
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