DC Sports Betting Decision Delayed Amid Contracting Monopoly Concerns

DC Sports Betting Decision Delayed Amid Contracting Monopoly Concerns

Council member David Grosso was among those against the idea of handing out such a key contract without at least shopping around first.

“It’s creating a monopoly, rather than an opportunity,” Grosso told NBC News in Washington. “It’s a complete disregard of all our attempts to reform our contracting.”

Council chairman Phil Mendelson was set to introduce the emergency measure at this week’s meeting before pulling the bill.

“It’s not sole sourcing,” Mendelson said to NBC in defense of his bill. “We are voting to extend the contract.”

Except they re are not voting at least, not this week.

Other councilors say they want to allow some time for the public to have input, even if it means pushing back legislation, thus delaying significant gaming revenue.

“We would lose some months,” councilor Mary Cheh told the Washington Post, “but we would at least have it out there in the open and have a hearing.”

Going purely by the numbers, it’s likely in the betting public’s best interest that its councilors do shop around.

They on December 19, and at the time, it was assumed that the gaming contract would go to Intralot.

However, the company’s model would be difficult for anyone with designs on turning a profit by betting on sports in DC. Unlike Las Vegas, whose sports books retain about five percent of the money bet, Intralot’s DC model would see it withholding 20 to 30 percent of the total handle.

That means a lot more vig (the fees charged to make a bet) for the customer, greatly reducing the chances of ever making a profit.

The American Gaming Association s that her organization was “deeply concerned about giving the lottery a virtual monopoly.”

Councilman Mendelson has agreed to pull his emergency bill and re-introduce it via standard legislative measures.