The D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming’s move to hire sports gambling giant FanDuel Group to run the city’s 4-year-old betting app is already giving a big boost to city coffers.
Between April 15 and May 14, the new FanDuel sports wagering platform took in $30 million in wagers, or nearly seven times what the previous sports betting app, GambetDC, pulled in for the same period in 2023, the Office of Lottery and Gaming announced Tuesday. All those wagers generated $1.9 million in revenue for the city, an increase of 690% over the same 30-day stretch last year.
The results seem to validate the city’s decision in March to ditch the much-maligned GambetDC and replace it with FanDuel’s platform in a bid to generate more revenue from mobile betting. FanDuel is among the best-known names in sports gambling and its app is the most popular in the nation by number of users.
“FanDuel’s first 30 days have not only met, but exceeded, expectations,” Frank Suarez, the Office of Lottery and Gaming executive director, said in a statement. He added that the transition to FanDuel “ensures the long-term viability of mobile sports wagering in the District.”
The GambetDC app, run by the Greek gaming company Intralot, had been beset by technical problems and, bettors complained, poor odds since it launched in May 2020. D.C. residents have been known to download apps offered in Maryland or Virginia, like FanDuel, DraftKings or BetMGM, and cross state lines to make their mobile bets (Sports betting apps can only be used in jurisdictions where they are licensed.)
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Alan Kline over at Washington Business Journal
