Washington D.C.'s Online Gambling OK'd by District Attorney General

Residents of Washington D.C. seeking online gambling cleared a big hurdle on Wednesday as the District Attorney General for Washington D.C. said that the district is cleared to continue with plans for intrastate online gambling to begin in September.

Sitting in as witness by the D.C. Council's Committee on Finance and Revenue, District Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan stated that the district's passage of the online gambling law does not contradict any standing federal law and will be monitored to make sure full legal compliance is met.

Online gambling, which was included on the district's 2011 budget plan is slated to become a source of taxable revenue for America's capitol city. D.C. CFO Natwar M. Ghandi states that a "conservative" estimate of $13 million is likely to be brought in over a four year period.

The gaming platform is going to be operated by Intralot, which is operated out of Greece and currently has six games slated to be available at launch. To help protect the district's citizens against big losses, the platform is only able to accept a maximum deposit of $250 weekly. Furthermore, restrictions can be set up to bar players who may have a gambling addiction.

Hotspots are also due to be set up to help players from out of state take part in the district's online casino, which could be inside of a hotel or other legally recognized location from which to gamble; another way for Washington D.C. to create more revenue. Players who wish to play must be 19, use a debit card to wager and physically be located within the city limits to place a wager.

The online wagering platform is set to launch September 8th.