FanDuel was previously the only company in DC offering citywide mobile sports betting, but new legislation in the city’s fiscal 2025 budget allows up to six other companies to enter the market. Caesars began accepting online bets citywide on Wednesday morning. (Mobile betting on the platform was previously limited to gamblers within a two-block radius of Capital One Arena.) BetMGM said it would launch its citywide mobile operations at 2:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Sports betting licenses are likely to fill up soon. DraftKings, which is available in 25 states and led the nation in sports betting market share in the second quarter of this year, said on June 25 that it “looks forward to the opportunity to introduce our mobile sportsbook product to D.C. sports fans.”
FanDuel posted a message on its app on Tuesday saying it had suspended online sports betting in Washington, D.C. The company said in a statement to The Washington Post that it was awaiting “final approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 D.C. budget,” which includes legislation to expand the city’s sports betting offerings. Intralot, the Greek company that runs the city’s lottery, had subcontracted with FanDuel to become D.C.’s only citywide sports betting option after the collapse of the city’s original betting platform, Gunbet DC.
Going forward, gambling companies operating in D.C. will pay the city 20% of gaming revenues plus licensing fees. Under the terms of its previous contract with Intralot, which expired, FanDuel paid the city 40% of gaming revenues as the only company in D.C. to offer citywide mobile sports betting.
Plagued by technical issues and poor odds, Gambet DC generated just $4.3 million in revenue over four years, well below the original $84 million projections. In April, Intralot announced it would close Gambet DC and turn the city’s mobile sports betting operations over to FanDuel, which also operates a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at Audi Field. FanDuel brought in $1.9 million for the city in its first 30 days alone.
