Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2026 budget has proposed allowing commercial table game tournaments including bingo, poker and blackjack.
The proposal would see two-year licenses made available. Interested parties would have a $5,000 application fee and a $2,000 charge for each location they want to run games.
If plans get the green light, DC operators will face a 25% tax on gross gaming revenue from the card-based table games. Bingo would incur a 7.5% tax rate on gross receipts.
Other aspects of the proposal include that it would cost DC $249,000 in fiscal year 2026. The total cost is estimated at $1.0 million over the full length of the plan, which runs to 2029.
The DC Office of Lottery and Gaming would oversee the distribution of licenses. The nation’s capital does not have legal casinos.
“Our initial thinking is we will open them up to our hotel properties,” Bowser said, according to WTOP. “Our initial thinking around the commercial bingo is that we would open them up to restaurants.”
Cheaper Table Games Licenses May Appeal in DC
Ian Thomas, an attorney who specializes in gaming law, talked up the plans. He noted how the licenses would be priced lower than in other jurisdictions.
“I think it’s an interesting expansion in gaming law in the District,” Thomas told WTOP. “You see a lot of different jurisdictions using gambling and gaming as a means to increase revenues.”
“There are often times when licenses are extraordinarily expensive — hundreds of thousands of dollars, and millions of dollars, in some cases. And here, with application fees being relatively low, the affordability leads me to believe that there is some contemplation here that small or midsized local businesses may be able to take advantage of this sort of new offering in DC.”
However, Thomas said if DC is to generate more revenue from gambling, there should also be consideration for additional spending on protecting players from gambling-related harm.
“I would hope that if we’re going to expand the scope of gambling, that consideration is given to maybe putting some of that money back in the budget to deal with, or to offset, some of the issues that come with legalizing and expanding this industry,” Thomas said.
