Washington D.C.’s sports betting landscape is undergoing significant changes, moving away from Intralot and GambetDC. However, the gaming company may still encounter challenges within the District.
Intralot, which powered GambetDC and manages the District’s lottery system, appears to be under investigation by Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, according to a report from Washington City Paper. The exact scope of the investigation remains unclear, but Schwalb has requested documents from Intralot as part of what seems to be an ongoing inquiry. The focus may involve allegations that the contractor and its subcontractors failed to fulfill promised work.
Intralot has faced significant scrutiny in recent years due to GambetDC’s failure to meet expectations. The sports betting app struggled to generate substantial revenue for the District, and notably, its iOS app ceased functioning on Super Bowl Sunday in 2022.
Several Washington D.C. council members have long criticized the decision to award Intralot a sole-source contract for sports betting. The system was only switched recently, allowing multiple betting apps like DraftKings and FanDuel to enter the District’s mobile betting market.
In 2019, The Washington Post reported that Veterans Services Corporation (VSC) was not meeting its subcontractor responsibilities with Intralot. The report highlighted that VSC CEO Emmanuel Bailey did not have any employees at VSC, raising legitimate concerns about the subcontractor’s capabilities.
It is uncertain whether the current D.C. investigation is concentrating on VSC’s performance with Intralot or other aspects of Intralot’s management of Washington D.C.’s sports betting.
Interestingly, VSC now operates a sports betting app in Maryland. The app has been criticized for its poor odds and subpar interface, generating just $130,000 in handle in the state in June, the lowest among Maryland’s betting apps.