Mayor Bowser Pushes to Legalize Poker, Blackjack, and Bingo in D.C.

Summary:

• Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser is reconsidering a plan to make poker, blackjack, and bingo legal in the District.
• The proposal would attract tournaments, tourists, and generate new revenue, but no official projections exist at this time.
• D.C.’s economy is struggling with 6% unemployment and slow job growth, fueling the push for new ideas.

Mayor Muriel Bowser is once again trying to bring legal poker to Washington, D.C., describing it as a way to breathe some life into the city’s sluggish economy.

Currently, poker is not allowed in the District, which means players interested in sitting down at a table must travel to places like Baltimore, where card rooms frequently host top events like the World Series of Poker Circuit. Bowser wants to see all that change.

In the spring, the mayor unveiled a $21.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 that included the Poker and Blackjack Gaming Authorization Act of 2025. The measure, described as “hot” by the mayor at the time, would have made live poker, blackjack, and bingo tournaments available for anyone 18 and older, with tax revenues flowing back into the city, giving the local economy a much-needed boost.

While her first attempt didn’t make it into the final version of Council Bill 26-0265, Bowser went forward, confirming her plans to revive the push for legal poker and blackjack on Tuesday.

Deputy Mayor Albert: “We’re Still Sort of Formulating What the Plan Would Be”

When asked about the potential revenue projections her plan might generate, Bowser admitted no firm numbers exist at the moment, given the novelty of the idea.

Deputy Mayor Nina Albert went on to argue that the respective estimates would largely depend on the exact number of events that the city would bring in.

So, we’re still sort of formulating what the plan would be. But even if we had just one or two marquee national tournaments here, that is another attraction that brings both national and international visitors to D.C., which is always the platform we wanted to create for our entertainment ecosystem

The debate comes at a time when D.C. is going through some rough economic patches, in the context of the job growth falling short of demand and the unemployment rate at a steady 6% for several months.

Bowser believes the legalization of poker could help shift the currently pessimistic mood of local businesses by generating new jobs, attracting new visitors, and providing a fresh entertainment option to the city.