Washington DC Introduces Legal Sports Betting Bill

A legal sports betting bill has been introduced in the US capital Washington by a council member named Jack Evans, a politician for the US Democratic Party who has been representing Ward 2 of Washington for almost thirty years. Evans recently proposed the bill that may well have paved the way towards legalized gambling in the state, aside from just its present charitable gambling and lottery products.

Washington Looking to Join West Virginia

The piece of legislation known as the ‘Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018’ already has strong support from the majority of council members, including chairman Phil Mendelson, following the legalization of betting in several other states, such as West Virginia and Mississippi. Phil Mendelson (photo) has been chairman of Council of the District of Columbia for more than five years following the resignation of Kwame R. Brown, and recently announced that he will run for a third term, despite a challenge from Ed Lazere.

Furthermore, the bill proposes the introduction of betting on mobiles and smart phones, bringing more accessible ways to place wagers on a wide range of sports betting markets. There are currently only two other states in the US that provide such legality in the laws surrounding betting, and although some betting activities are legal in some other states, mobile betting is not permitted.

In addition, there is an air of confidence surrounding the bill’s potential due to the positive path it has already taken, which has been aided by cutting out many of the key criteria that have previously been objected to in other states.

About The Bill

In May, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court paving the way for individual states to decide their own approach when it comes to sports betting. Many states have since started opening up to the idea of sports betting both offline and online, with four states outside of Nevada having already launched industries of their own, including Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi and more recently West Virginia.

The piece of legislation places a price of $50,000 on a 5 year license, after which another $50,000 fee would be required at the time of renewal. Also highlighted in the bill is a gross revenue tax of ten percent, which is currently similar to the level set by states in other bills that have passed legal sports wagering. The proposed tax rate is designed to not only make betting more palatable, but to attract investment from betting providers and gaming operators. While some other states where similar bills have been proposed suggested a tax rate of between thirty and fifty percent, this was ultimately deemed far too excessive and unacceptable by many betting organizations.

There has also been no mention of integrity fees in the bill, which are basically dubbed by some as yet another tax, but specifically for the sports betting industry. Integrity fees are currently being strongly promoted by the MLB and NBA, and are designed to feed back some of the profits from sports betting to the sports’ governing bodies.

Will Congress Overrule Bill?

The Council of the District of Columbia where the bill is proposed has devolution from the US Congress. However, congress currently has supreme authority over the city and all council acts are subject to review. Congress still has the power to legislate, revoke and overturn laws, but, due to strong support from a majority position and some high profile figures, that seems unlikely.

One person who is throwing his support weight behind the bill is high profile businessman Ted Leonsis, a former politician and current owner and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns a number of sports clubs including Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics and Washington Valor. In the meantime, André Wilsenach, Director of the International Center for Gaming Regulation at the University of Nevada made the following comments on the current situation:

“I think most people thought it would be, you know, probably like 20 states coming out with legislation and it would be passed immediately in several states… But I think that some jurisdictions are taking it a little slower”.

Other Advantages Of The Bill

While the primary aim of the bill is to legalize sports betting and wagering on sports in the city, there are other advantages that will come about if the bill is passed. This includes creating jobs, investment and fund programs relating to the sports industries and other sectors, some of which include childhood well-being and arts and humanities.