Standalone Report Card Shareable PNG

District of Columbia DC

Score: 39 / 100

Restriction points: 40 Protection points: 6 Tax points: 1 Age points: 0 Promotion penalty: −8 Last verified: March 27, 2026

Report Card

Grade
F
A+=100+ · A=90–99 · B=80–89 · C=70–79 · D=50–69 · F=30–49 · F−=0–29
Total score
39/100
40 + 0 + 0 + 6 + 1 + 0 − 8
Why this score

Legal Status

Legal StatusNotes & sources
Online sports betting Legal
District law permits mobile and online sports wagering through licensed operators, and the Office of Lottery and Gaming continues to oversee a District retailer and kiosk program.
  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.
iCasino (online casino-style games) Not legal
District materials identify regulated mobile and online sports wagering, but no state-regulated at-home iCasino framework was identified.
  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.
Minimum age (sports betting) 18+
  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Final Rulemaking: Sports Wagering (Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, 2019-08-30). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Estimated Net Outflows

Estimated annual net outflow
$31,682,021

Online gambling apps route losses to out-of-state operators and vendors, creating large net leakages from state economies and reduced in-state spending by residents, even after deducting retained state taxes and activity from in-state app operations.

Model: gambling-flows (mid scenario, 2025).

  • Research note (March 28, 2026): the current District of Columbia outflow estimate comes from the sibling gambling-flows model's 2025 sportsbook feed, which still relies on national tracker totals instead of a District regulator connector.
  • That modeled public-take figure can differ from the statutory Class A / B / C rates below because it is based on reported taxes and fees in the tracker inputs, not just the nominal rate schedule.

View all state outflow estimates

History and Overview

  • When betting apps were legalized/launched (sports betting): online + retail launch: May 27, 2020.
  • Main legal model / provisions (sports betting): The District-operated GambetDC sportsbook launched on May 28, 2020. A 2024 law expanded mobile and online wagering through Class A and new Class C licenses while retaining the retailer and kiosk program.
  • Online casino / iCasino: Not legal.
  • Score-relevant protections observed here: Problem gambling hotline (+2), Funding for problem gambling messaging (+2), Non-integrated Self-exclusion list (+2)

Legislative changes since launch

  • July 15, 2024 — Enacted: The Sports Wagering Amendment Act of 2024 took effect, allowing Class A licenses to operate mobile and online wagering, creating Class C licenses for eligible sports teams and commercial partners, and setting a new license-class tax structu…
  1. Office of Lottery and Gaming. Public Oversight Hearing on Performance Oversight of the Office of Lottery and Gaming (Office of the Chief Financial Officer, 2022-03-04). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  3. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Score math

Raw formula
score = policyPoints + protectionsPoints + taxPoints + agePoints − promotionPenalty
This state
(40 + 0 + 0) + 6 + 1 + 0 − 8 = 39

Safety Scoring

Scoring methodology and formula.

Online sports betting

Awarded
0 / 30
Legal Status
Legal

Online sports betting apps are legal.

  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.

iCasino (online casino-style games)

Awarded
40 / 40
Legal Status
Not legal

iCasino apps are not legal.

  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Neither online sports betting nor iCasino

Awarded
0 / 25
Legal Status
Not applicable

Bonus not awarded — at least one form of online gambling is legal in this state.

  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.

State promotion / advertising of online gambling

Penalty
-8 / 8

The Office of Lottery and Gaming maintains official sports-betting pages, and District testimony described marketing plans for the District-operated sportsbook and retailer program.

  1. Office of Lottery and Gaming. Sports Betting (D.C. Lottery). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Office of Lottery and Gaming. Public Oversight Hearing on Performance Oversight of the Office of Lottery and Gaming (Office of the Chief Financial Officer, 2022-03-04). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Tax Score

Awarded
1 / 4
Why
Derived from online tax rate 20% → ceil(20/20) = 1 (capped at 4).

Statutory tax rate (sports betting operators): Online 20% (Class A); Class B 10%; Class C 30%

  • Effective August 1, 2024, Class A operators pay 20% of gross sports wagering revenue, Class B operators 10%, and Class C operators 30%.
  • Rate depends on license class.
  • Class A and Class C licenses may offer mobile or online wagering.
  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Sports Wagering Tax (Office of Tax and Revenue). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Council of the District of Columbia. D.C. Law 25-217. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024. (D.C. Law Library, 2024-07-15). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Age Requirement

Awarded
0 / 5
Why
Minimum age is 18 (less than 21).

0 points for 18+, 2 points for 21+, 5 points for 25+.

  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Final Rulemaking: Sports Wagering (Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, 2019-08-30). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Credit card funding ban

Awarded
0 / 5
Why
Not in place.

Bans using credit cards to fund online betting.

Problem gambling hotline

Awarded
2 / 2
Why
District problem-gambling resources direct residents to the National Problem Gambling Helpline and local support services.

Publicly advertised problem-gambling hotline/helpline (and referral to support resources). This is a low-efficacy intervention.

  1. National Council on Problem Gambling. About the National Problem Gambling Helpline™ (National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), 2023-11-22). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. National Council on Problem Gambling. District Of Columbia Problem Gambling Resources (National Council on Problem Gambling, 2023-11-20). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Funding for problem gambling messaging

Awarded
2 / 2
Why
District problem-gambling services are publicly funded, and official sports-wagering rules require responsible-gaming procedures for licensed operators.

Earmarks funds for problem gambling education/public-awareness messaging (not just voluntary operator messaging). This is typically small and often poorly executed.

  1. National Association of Administrators for Disordered Gambling Services. District of Columbia - NAADGS (NAADGS, 2020-01-07). Accessed 2026-03-29.
  2. Government of the District of Columbia. Final Rulemaking: Sports Wagering (Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, 2019-08-30). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Non-integrated Self-exclusion list

Awarded
2 / 2
Why
District rules created a self-exclusion list and allow or require licensed mobile and online operators to offer self-exclusion and self-limitation options.

State provides a self-exclusion program (ideally centralized across licensed operators). This is a low-efficacy tool when not integrated into the gambling user flow.

  1. Government of the District of Columbia. Final Rulemaking: Sports Wagering (Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, 2019-08-30). Accessed 2026-03-29.

Mandatory loss limits

Awarded
0 / 20
Why
Not in place.

Mandatory, enforceable, cross-operator loss limits that cap how much a person can lose in a time period (e.g., monthly). Highly effective for preventing bankruptcies.

Inducement / promo restrictions

Awarded
0 / 8
Why
Not in place.

Bans or tightly limits promotional inducements (bonuses, risk-free bets, boosted odds) used to accelerate losses.

Ban on in-game betting and microbets

Awarded
0 / 15
Why
Not in place.

Prohibits in-game/live betting so wagers can only be placed before events begin.

Mandatory operator intervention / duty of care

Awarded
0 / 15
Why
Not in place.

Requires operators to stop offering bets when users exhibit defined high-risk patterns (not merely provide links to a hotline).

Spousal consent for joint accounts

Awarded
0 / 5
Why
Not in place.

Requires explicit spousal consent before connecting or using a shared/joint bank account for gambling.

Default deposit/loss limits at signup

Awarded
0 / 5
Why
Not in place.

Requires players to set limits at signup (or imposes defaults) rather than burying optional limit-setting tools.

Deposit-to-bet waiting period

Awarded
0 / 6
Why
Not in place.

Imposes a mandatory waiting period between deposits and wagering to reduce compulsive 'tilt' behavior.

Strong advertising protections

Awarded
0 / 5
Why
Not in place.

Imposes meaningful limits on gambling advertising (e.g., time/place bans, tobacco-style warnings) beyond generic 'gamble responsibly' language.

Not allowed in app stores (web only)

Awarded
0 / 10
Why
Not in place.

Removes gambling apps from app stores, where the easy access and notification systems increase addictive patterns. In states with legal online gambling, these services would remain available on websites.

Public transparency & harm metrics

Awarded
0 / 4
Why
Not in place.

Requires public reporting on operator harm indicators (e.g., share of revenue from high-risk users, intervention rates), enabling oversight.

Close the Kalshi “investment contract” loophole

Awarded
0 / 8
Why
Not in place.

State action to block sports event contracts marketed as federally regulated derivatives. Joining the 36-state attorney general coalition earns 2 points; cease-and-desist earns 4; court action earns 8 (max 8).

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Updated March 2, 2026 · Scoring Version 1.0 (3/2026) · CASPR.org