Washington D.C. Legalizes Sportsbetting

On Wednesday Washington D.C. lawmakers voted to approve of the legalization of sportsbetting within the District of Columbia, becoming the seventh jurisdiction in the country to approve of the activity.

The vote came in at 11 in favor with 2 opposed, and will allow for retail and digital operation of sportsbooks. The law is effective immediately, and will see the D.C. Lottery begin putting regulations into place. Once those submissions are made, it will go to Congress for review for a 60 day period. Sportsbetting will only be available through the Intralot platform, which the D.C. Lottery uses to power their other gaming opportunities.

Washington D.C. is a city that has 700,000 people in it, and is not part of any particular state, instead being overseen by the federal government at the top end, and by city officials for everyday affairs. It's thought that all of the city's major stadiums and arenas could offer sportsbetting, as well as up to 60 other spots that also offer lottery services.

It's believed that legalized sportsbetting could go live in the district before the start of the 2019 MLB baseball season.