WASHINGTON — It was hailed as a way to generate tens of millions in revenue for the District, while legalizing what many sports fans were already doing: betting on sports.
But D.C.’s sports betting system has been a mess since the beginning.
On Monday, the city announced it is shaking things up to try and salvage its failing sports betting app. The D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG) said it would partner with FanDuel, allowing the national sports wagering operation to take over D.C.’s sports betting operation on a phased basis, making FanDuel D.C.’s lone citywide mobile betting option.
The GambetDC app has been plagued with problems since its creation, including a glitchy system that doesn’t always work and has worse odds than those being offered by brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at Capital One Arena and Nationals Park.
The result has been people simply don’t use the Gamebet DC app that much.
GambetDC was projected to bring in $20 million a year in revenue when DC Councilmembers approved sports betting in 2019. But it’s only generated a little more than $4 million over that time.
By comparison, Ceasars Sportsbook at Capital One brought in more than that in January 2024 alone; and only a very small portion of those profits are taxable.
GambetDC actually lost money one month in 2023, which is nearly unheard of in the sports betting world.
WUSA9 reached out to several councilmembers for comment, and heard back from CM Kenyan McDuffie.
"OLG shared the news that FanDuel will be replacing GambetDC as the sports wagering platform via contract modification," McDuffie said. "While I agree that change is necessary to replace the dreadful performance of GambetDC, I am disappointed that the OLG waited this long to take any action. I will be introducing legislation to make this process more transparent and to address the concerns our residents have shared with me and my team.”
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