The long nightmare for sports bettors in the District of Columbia is over. The unpopular Gambet D.C. app has been replaced by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Sports fans in Washington D.C. can access the popular FanDuel app as of April 15. That also means Maryland residents who work in D.C. can now log into their FanDuel accounts while there.
It opens up a new chapter for sports betting in the nation’s capital.
FanDuel guarantees $40M to D.C. coffers annually
Maryland sports betting has been legal since December 2021. Online sports betting began just under a year later, in November 2022.
As for sports betting in D.C., Gambet D.C. has been criticized throughout the nearly two years it has operated as the only online sportsbook in the District of Columbia. The app, operated by the D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming, frequently had issues with performance and reliability. It also failed to offer a wide range of odds.
FanDuel, in contrast, is one of the leading mobile and online sportsbooks in the US. In most jurisdictions, FanDuel is in the top two with rival DraftKings in total handle. Last month, it was the leading sportsbook in the Old Line State. FanDuel MD recorded handled $248.7 million in sports wagers in March.
The company promises to deliver millions of dollars in revenue to D.C., where budgets are often tight.
In a press statement last month announcing the takeover, FanDuel said it would pay a $5 million fee to the D.C. general fund to commence business. It also guarantees at least $40 million in tax revenue annually regardless of the success of its mobile app. According to reporting by FOX 5 News, Gambet produced only “about $4 million” in tax revenue during its entire tenure.
The D.C. City Council will consider a two-year extension on the sports betting contract that previously was held by Gambet. If approved, FanDuel would have more than 24 months to operate in the District without competition. The current deal, which FanDuel assumes from Gambet, expires in July.
How FanDuel D.C. will impact Marylanders
The thousands of Maryland residents who commute to D.C. for work can now use FanDuel while in the District. Those consumers can download FanDuel if they are not yet registered, or use an existing FanDuel account from their own state. Promotional FanDuel bonus bet offers may be available for new customers.
Any person in D.C. who meets the requirements (must be 21) can register with FanDuel D.C. Sportsbook. New users will need to verify their identity and respond to an email confirmation. Once they make an initial deposit, users from Maryland, D.C., or other states can place wagers on sporting events while in the District of Columbia.
Maryland residents who have Gambet D.C. accounts can withdraw any funds until Oct. 15.
