2024 was supposed to be the light at the end of the tunnel for D.C.’s beleaguered sports betting program. But, as the saying goes, sometimes that light is just a freight train.
This July marks the city’s first opportunity to wiggle free from the rushed, no-bid contract the District inked with private partners—primarily, the well-connected Greek company Intralot—to run a government-backed sports wagering system five years ago. Yet, despite a history of embarrassing public snafus, messy private spats with D.C. officials, and consistently underperforming revenue numbers, the top brass at the District’s lottery seems ready to offer Intralot a contract extension anyway.
