The District of Columbia Lottery, which has been put in charge of sports betting in the nation’s capital, last week posted its proposed regulations.
They do not allow betting on D.C. college teams or events, although whether any college games can be bet on isn’t yet clear.
This brought criticism from the American Gaming Association, which said this violated the kind of transparency it is trying to encourage. The association’s spokesman, Sara Slane told Sports Handle, “By not legalizing wagering on D.C.’s collegiate teams, it’s just fueling the illegal market.”
Although the language is murky, an official of the district confirmed that the betting ban only applies to D.C. college teams. This is not an uncommon exception. New Jersey does it, and so does Illinois. On the other hand, Mississippi and Pennsylvania allow betting on college games of any kind.
Supporters of that approach say that when college games are banned, the betting happens anyway, but in the shadows.
The regulations allow for sports book at four sports arenas; require a $500,000 application fee for stadiums for five years and $100,000 for restaurants, bars and other venues. They set a 10 percent tax on the gross.
Operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel will pay a $10,000 annual fee. Although it is not clear, it appears to some observers that the lottery will have a monopoly on mobile and internet sports betting. The app will be managed for the lottery by Intralot.
There will be a 30-day public comment period on the regulations.
