GambetDC, Washington, D.C.’s lottery-run sports betting app, has an interface that draws frequent criticism. For bettors familiar with the many major national sportsbook platforms operational in Virginia, using GambetDC — which was developed by third-party provider Intralot — can be a jarring change.
A D.C. Lottery spokesperson told Sports Handle over the summer that the goal was for interface enhancements to be implemented by the start of football season. That goal wasn’t met, but changes are still expected soon.
Fall changes still likely
Melissa Davis, the D.C. Lottery’s interim director of marketing and communications, told Sports Handle via email last week that “we will launch a significantly enhanced user experience for our mobile app that is more in line with what players experience when wagering with private operators. … We anticipate rollout during the height of football season, before the playoffs begin.”
One of the major areas of concern with the interface is the number of clicks needed to reach different bets. For example, placing a bet on a golf tournament this summer was a wildly inconvenient task, requiring multiple clicks and plenty of scrolling to bet on a major championship.
Those concerns are expected to be addressed in the fall interface enhancements. The lottery wants GambetDC to perform more like BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or FanDuel, all of which are available at specific retail locations within Washington, D.C.
@GambetDC has the worst app. No reason I should lose all my picks as I open another app
— Richard (@PrettyDavo) September 8, 2022
Those mobile sportsbooks will also soon be available across Maryland, perhaps by the end of 2022. Virginia and Maryland each have respectable sportsbook offerings, making it doable for D.C. bettors to travel outside the District to place legal sports bets on sportsbook platforms they’re familiar with.
Other D.C. changes coming?
While Washington, D.C., has several noteworthy retail sportsbooks, the jurisdiction’s mobile offerings aren’t ideal. No apps can be used on federal property, and in addition to its interface, there have been concerns about the odds and technical lapses of GambetDC, the most widely available app in the District.
In July, some D.C. council members brought up the idea of allowing other mobile sportsbook operators such as BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and FanDuel to have mobile access across D.C. BetMGM and Caesars have restrictions limiting their mobile operations to two blocks around their respective retail sportsbooks, and FanDuel only has retail access in the District. The expansion idea had a few supporters, but the council did not act on it.
The contract with Intralot, which took the blame for GambetDC’s iOS outage during February’s Super Bowl, lasts until October 2024. The council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development often handles matters related to GambetDC, and a spokesperson for committee Chairman Kenyan McDuffie said she’s “not aware” of any immediate plans for the D.C. council to address sports wagering issues in the District.
