Washington, D.C., may soon shut down the city’s current sports betting platform.
At a time when many states enjoy huge revenue streams from sports betting, the D.C. Lottery and Gaming Bureau has seen its GambetDC platform perform poorly due to technical issues, poor odds and other issues.
The city’s contract with Greek gaming company Intralot expires in July, and lottery officials are now looking into the matter Bringing in the most experienced sports betting operators To take over.
“The platform has brought in only a fraction of the $20 million in annual revenue that D.C.’s former CFO expected in 2019, when the council awarded Intralot $215 million to develop the city’s only sports betting platform.” Washington Post Reports.
Look for a more experienced company
The city chose a different path than most US states after legalizing sports betting in 2019. DC Lottery officials worked with Intralot to develop its own platform.
Many other states have opened licensing to private companies, allowing multiple operators within a single state. This has led to record betting revenues across the country. The capital’s efforts have not achieved this kind of success.
GambleDC features a mobile app as well as betting kiosks located throughout the city. Nearby Virginia and Maryland now offer sports betting and have several operators. Clearly, competition, poor odds and a problematic offering have prompted bettors in the capital to look for other options.
Officials originally expected sports betting to bring in about $84 million for the city at this stage of the Intralot contract. However, the actual amount produced for the city is only about $4.3 million, which has drawn criticism from City Council members. Lottery officials said those initial estimates may have been too high.
Kenyan council member R. McDuffie said bettors complained about GambleDC’s customer service and ease of use. Lottery leaders have taken note and are now considering making changes and bringing on another sports betting company.
“It’s no secret that private operators have a very strong brand, so they’re really able to use that brand and that advertising to attract more players,” DC Lottery CEO Frank Suarez said at a recent hearing. “We want a bigger brand. We want something that players will get used to and be very satisfied with, so that’s why we’re looking to make the change.
A recent story related to GambleDC referenced a former data scientist who used GambleDC kiosks that offered better odds than those found online to win huge sums of money. This issue ultimately led to the entire process of limiting bets on the platform, and raised questions about the company’s capabilities as a sports betting company.
