Washington D.C. Looks To Change Sports Betting PlatformDCGamble Underperforms After Problematic Rollout |
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Washington D.C. may soon be pulling the plug on the city’s current sports betting platform.
At a time when many states are enjoying massive revenue influxes from sports wagering, the D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming has seen the GambetDC platform underperform because of technical issues, poor odds, and other problems.
The city’s contract with Greek gaming company Intralot expires in July, and lottery officials are now looking at bringing in more seasoned sports betting operators to take over.
“The platform has brought just a fraction of the $20 million in annual revenue that D.C.’s former chief financial officer forecast in 2019, when the council awarded Intralot $215 million to develop the city’s sole sports betting platform,” the Washington Post reports.
Seeking More Experienced Company
The city chose a different path than most U.S. states after legalizing sports wagering in 2019. D.C. Lottery officials worked with Intralot to develop its own platform.
Many other states have opened licensing for private companies, allowing several operators within a single state. This has led to record wagering revenue across the country. D.C.’s efforts have not achieved that type of success.
GambleDC features a mobile app as well as betting kiosks located around the city. Nearby Virginia and Maryland both now offer sports betting and feature numerous operators. The competition, poor odds, and problematic rollout has apparently led the capital city’s bettors to seek out other options.
Officials had originally projected sports betting to bring in about $84 million for the city at this point in the Intralot contract. However, the actual amount produced for the city is only about $4.3 million and that has brought criticism from city council members. Lottery officials have said those initial estimates may have been too high.
Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie said bettors have complained about GambleDC’s customer service and usability. Lottery leaders have taken note and are now considering changes and bringing in another sports betting company.
“It’s no secret that the private operators have a very strong brand, so they’re really able to use that branding and that advertising to draw in more players,” D.C. Lottery executive director Frank Suarez said at a recent hearing. “We want a bigger brand. We want something that players are used to and highly satisfied with, which is why we’re looking to make the change.”
A recent story involving GambleDC pointed to a former data scientist who used GambleDC kiosks that provided better odds than found online to win huge sums of cash. The case eventually led to the entire operation to limit wagers on the platform, and drew questions about the company’s abilities as a sportsbook.
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