Washington D.C.'s Sports Betting Hobbled by Unique Problems

Washington D.C.'s sports betting operation has the odds stacked against it while struggling to meet expectations.

Sports fans face numerous challenges placing their bets within the district’s hybrid set-up—it’s the only jurisdiction that regulates private operation and also manages its mobile sports betting platform. They can only use a few private retail sportsbooks and mobile wagering is limited as it must be within a two-block radius of betting facilities. The city also faces an increasingly competitive market with adjacent Virginia, which has major sportsbooks such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet.

As a result, D.C.'s fledgling operation is falling far short ...