GambetDC. Sounds familiar. Maybe a movie from the 60s starring Shirley MacLaine. Yes, with a different spelling.
Gambit the movie may have had its shortcomings, but it proved a decent enough cat burglar caper. GambetDC is a study in failure, one not so splendiferous. In its four-plus years with a no-bid contract, they had little to write home about.
This fact is not lost on the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG), which oversees GambetDC. At a meeting to discuss the end of Gambet’s five-year term in July, the talk extended to perhaps replacing the platform with a more established private—and popular one. FanDuel, DraftKings, maybe even Fanatics.
Frank Suarez, the head of the OLG office, talked subcontractor with Intralot, the firm which gave the no-bid contract, according to Yogonet Gaming News.
Since the launch in May 2020, the GambetDC app faced technical issues, poor odds, poor offering, a lack of bettors, but mostly a poor reputation. The lack of revenue reflects all that. City leaders are not a happy bunch.
D.C.’s former CFO predicted the platform would collect a fraction of the $20 million in annual revenue forecasted in 2019, according to The Washington Post, when the council awarded Intralot $215 million to develop a platform.
For Suarez, the goal is to bring in a brand familiar to bettors and more competitive with Maryland and Virginia.
Let’s say that again: strong brand. Familiar brand.
“It’s no secret that the private operators have a very strong brand, so they’re able to really use that branding and that advertising to draw in more players,” Suarez told the Post. “We want a bigger brand. We want something that players are used to and highly satisfied with, which is why we’re looking to make the change.”
Suarez said the OLG may not cut all ties with Intralot, but extend a modified contract, an idea not too popular with Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, and chair of the council’s business and economic development committee.
When it comes to GambetDC, McDuffie made note that the sports app brought in $4.3 million since its inception instead of the $84 million projected.
“Simply put, sports betting in the nation’s capital is not working. Tell the public what’s gone wrong, and more importantly, what precisely they intend to do to fix the mess that’s been made,” McDuffie added, per Yogonet.
GambetDC witnessed improvements in odds, but the negative reputation is a hard one to overcome.
The OLG submitted a modified proposal to Intralot’s contract, which includes a subcontracting deal.
Representatives from DraftKings and BetMGM testified in support of another alternative: opening up D.C.’s market is not unlike what they do in Maryland and Virginia. But that move could result in a negative impact on retail businesses.
Lottery officials are expected to testify about the betting program on February 14 as part of the council’s annual oversight process.
