The D.C. Council has given an approval to the sports betting bill in a final vote on Tuesday. The capital will become the first place in the region to allow betting on professional sports teams.
The bill passed in an 8-4 vote, while Council members Brianne Nadeau, Robert White, Elissa Silverman and David Grosso voted against the measure.
D.C. Lottery will assume the role of being the District’s sole gaming operator as its operator Intralot will get a new contract under the bill which will allow residents to place a bet from anywhere on the mobile platform.
However, Grosso cited the “high credit risk” of Intralot in her opposition to the bill. “I will be voting against this bill once again. This is a vote against Intralot’s rating downgrade, a vote against streamlining a tax of the poor and a vote against pay-to-play behavior. And I urge my colleagues to do the same,” said Grosso.
NEWS ALERT: The D.C. Council gave final approval to a bill that puts sports betting on the fast track. Sports betting is coming to the District as soon as this fall. https://t.co/mc3pkgZJeS
— WTOP (@WTOP) February 19, 2019
Jack Evans, Council member and Ward 2 Democrat, had earlier introduced the bill titled “Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018” in fall last year.
“The District of Columbia will be the leader in a fast-growing industry. The city should take advantage of our ability to act before the Maryland or Virginia legislatures to create thriving sports betting market, which will attract consumers to the District and generate revenue for District residents,” Evans had said in September 2018.
Following similar legalizations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia, the District will be the first jurisdiction in the D.C. area to allow sports betting. Supreme Court previously ruled to end a federal ban on sports betting.