DC officials have proposed a $215M "sole-source contract to manage online sports gambling and the lottery, a deal that would benefit several politically connected individuals," according to Fenit Nirappil of the WASHINGTON POST. The DC Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser "authorized city officials to suspend procurement rules while awarding a lucrative contract" to Greece-based gaming company Intralot. They said that this was "necessary to launch a sports-betting mobile app quickly to maximize tax revenue." DC CFO Jeffrey DeWitt on Monday sent a "proposed five-year contract to the council after months of negotiation with Intralot." DC's sports betting legislation "gives the city exclusive rights to manage mobile sports betting, which is expected to be viewed as the most popular way to place a wager." The law also "permits sportsbooks at arenas and betting machines at retailers similar to lottery terminals." DC officials have been "trying to establish the city as the go-to location for sports betting" in the region. Sports betting bills in Maryland and Virginia "did not advance in the most recent legislative sessions, and the closest states where betting is legal are West Virginia and Delaware" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/12).
