Barring an unexpected change, Intralot will likely continue running Washington, D.C.’s sports betting platform, GambetDC, through the summer.
Intralot signed a five-year contract to operate sports betting in the District in July of 2019, and the D.C. Lottery is making plans under the belief that the deal will be extended. The length of an extension is to be determined, and the Washington D.C. Council needs to approve any extension.
If an extension isn’t granted, however, GambetDC would shut down in July with no immediate replacement for bettors in the area.
“On July 15, all lottery and sports wagering operations cease,” D.C. Lottery Director Frank Suarez explained Wednesday during a Committee on Business and Economic Development hearing.
An extension to the Intralot deal ensures that bettors will have widespread access to a sports betting app through the summer months.
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D.C. Lottery officials recently proposed the idea of extending the contract with Intralot on the condition that Intralot subcontract with an operator to run the District’s main sports betting app. This plan would effectively kill GambetDC, but would keep the relationship with Intralot alive.
Suarez suggested Wednesday that moving to a new betting platform could be possible by the end of the fiscal year, which for Washington, D.C., ends on Sept. 30.
The lottery has yet to publicly name the operator it has pegged as GambetDC’s replacement, but Suarez described the app as a “top-performing, nationally recognized platform.”
A January committee hearing came with testimony from several major betting operators, including Fanatics Sportsbook, urging the council to allow a competitive marketplace with multiple betting platforms. A plan to open up a competitive sports betting market is still on the table, but in the immediate future, the lottery is preparing as if the Intralot contract will be extended and one new operator will eventually take over for GambetDC.
GambetDC is off to a tough financial start in 2024, with a decrease in its January betting handle (18.5%) and revenue (20%) figures compared to January 2023 numbers. The volume of bets placed also dipped 10.7% in January of 2024 compared to January 2023.
It’s possible the council could opt to extend the Intralot deal for a year or two while simultaneously working toward building an open, competitive mobile betting market. Both plans forward likely include an Intralot extension in the immediate future.
Chris Altruda contributed to this report
