United States
United Kingdom
Summary:
- BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook were supposed to launch their mobile sports betting apps in Washington D.C. on July 15.
- Both launches were postponed because of missing final regulatory approvals.
- The operators hope to launch their apps by the end of July.
Scheduled for launch on July 15 at noon, the much-anticipated BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook’s mobile app launches in Washington D.C. have been delayed.
Delayed Launches by the End of the Month
The two mobile betting apps, which were supposed to finally give residents access to an expanded US sports betting market by joining FanDuel, did not go live as planned in the nation’s capital.
The process could be completed, however, across most of the District by the end of the current month.
In other words, sports bettors will have to arm themselves with patience and wait a little while longer.
The reason behind the delay is related to the final regulatory approvals, which the two are still waiting for.
According to betMGM’s director of public relations, Jennifer Arapoff, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has still not inked the FY 2025 budget into law.
Arapoff added that once the mayor signs the budget into law, they
will have to follow procedure to test and then go live. Hoping she signs today and we could go live tomorrow, but it’s all dependent on the mayor.
Since things didn’t go as expected, BetMGM was forced to cancel an event at Nationals Park aimed at the expected launch.
No Official Launch Timeline Announced
However, despite the delay that likely caused frustration among bettors, once the final regulatory approvals are given, both Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM will finally go live across most of the District.
Each of the two operators already features a retail sportsbook in D.C. BetMGM’s retail sportsbook is found at Nationals Park while Caesars’s location is at the Capital One Arena.
However, their mobile betting apps can only be used within a two-block radius of the locations of their brick-and-mortar facilities.
There is optimism that the two will go live across the rest of the District, except for betting areas that are excluded by federal laws, before the end of July.
Nonetheless, there is no official launch timeline to follow which still makes FanDuel the only accessible betting app that can be accessed across the majority of Washington D.C.
