Summary:
- Washington D.C.’s online sports betting market is ready to expand on July 15.
- BetMGM is ready to launch its betting app across the District on Monday at noon ET.
- Caesars Sportsbook also announced its intention to go live across the district on the same day.
After exclusively using GambetDC since 2020, sports betting aficionados in Washington D.C. will finally be given extended online access to multiple sports wagering apps starting July 15.
The announcement follows councilmember Kenyan McDuffie’s effective lobby for opening up competition and shifting FanDuel’s monopoly following GambetDC’s takeover as an Intralot subcontractor to an open online marketplace.
BetMGM to Launch Betting App on Monday
On Wednesday, BetMGM, the partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain Holdings aimed at revolutionizing online gaming and sports betting in the US, announced its plans to launch its betting app across the District.
The launch, which has been scheduled at noon ET, will not only cover the two-block radius around its current retail sportsbook at Nationals Park but expand to several different areas.
The company will also celebrate the launch with live music performances at Nats Park on Monday morning.
Caesars Sportsbook to Join In
The largest casino entertainment company in the US and also one of the world’s most versatile providers of casino entertainment, Caesars Sportsbook has also announced its intention to go live in the online sports betting market in the district.
The company, which currently operates a retail sportsbook at Capital One Arena, has confirmed with Sports Handle that it will go live across the District on Monday.
DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbook are additional operators that lobbied the District’s Council for online sports betting access earlier in the year.
They are both expected to make their push for access to the market.
However, they will first need to follow the examples of Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM and get vetted by one of the sports franchises in the District before being given the green light to go live.
The two operators have already gone through the regulatory hurdle with the lottery to be allowed to launch and gain more mobile access.
FanDuel Could Drop the Lottery & Intralot Partnership
FanDuel has previously announced that it could renounce its partnership with the lottery and Intralot provided the market would open to more operators.
At the moment, the American provider of sportsbook, daily fantasy sports, horse racing, and online casinos is paying a 40% tax rate to Washington D.C. while operators will cover a 20% tax according to councilmember McDuffie’s bill.
At the same time, small businesses featuring retail kiosks are still guaranteed to be granted kiosks from one of the sports betting operators in the District, even if FanDuel decides to step down from its agreement with Intralot.