D.C. could soon get more into the gambling game as Mayor Muriel Bowser proposes allowing commercial bingo, poker and blackjack tournaments in the city as part of her growth agenda.
“Our initial, kind of, thinking around the (poker and blackjack) tournaments is that we will open them up to our hotel properties,” Bowser said during the introduction of her proposed budget on Tuesday. “Our initial thinking around the commercial bingo is that we would open them up to restaurants.”
“I think it’s an interesting expansion in gaming law in the District,” said attorney Ian Thomas, who specializes in gaming law. “You see a lot of different jurisdictions using gambling and gaming as a means to increase revenues.”
The mayor, in her 2026 budget, is proposing making two-year licenses available from the Office of Lottery and Gaming for a $5,000 application fee in addition to a $2,000 charge for every location a company will have card games like poker and blackjack.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Mike Murillo over at WTOP
