March was supposed to have been a good month for U.S. sports betting, with four jurisdictions launching: Michigan, Illinois, Montana, and the District of Columbia. Alas, there were no sports to bet on. No NBA playoffs. No March Madness. No baseball.
With the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down all casinos and most sports for the near future, D.C. has delayed its launch until sports return.
“We are revising our sports wagering launch strategy based on the current state of world events, but will be posting information about the platform in the coming days, including introducing the brand and its functionalities,” said Nicole Jordan, director of marketing and communications for the Office of Lottery and Gaming, which runs sports betting.
The app and web platforms have passed the tests needed to go live.
D.C. also authorized bars, restaurants, and sports venues to offer sports betting, but only within the confines of each locale, a practice known as geofencing. William Hill, which has partnered with Capital One Arena, has applied for a license to operate its sportsbook. Without any problems, OLG should issue the license by early May.
Data provider Sportradar and sportsbook technology supplier Scientific Games also submitted applications.
Getting to this point has been problematic. The proposed rules were criticized and revised and a mobile app developer filed a lawsuit against the D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which oversees the lottery.
The officer, Jeffrey DeWitt, told the City Paper the rush to approve sports betting was to reduce what could be a $500 million shortfall.
