DC Council votes to legalize sports betting

The D.C. Council on Tuesday voted to legalize betting on sports in an 11-2 decision, according to The Washington Post.

D.C. has legalized sports betting, first in the Washington region to do so. Council voted 11-2.

— Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) December 18, 2018

The bill was introduced after a May Supreme Court decision struck down a law banning gambling on sports, letting individuals states and territories decide if they wanted to legalize the practice.

Since then, eight states have legalized sports betting.

Initially proposed by Councilman Jack Evans (D), the bill would tax sports betting operators 10 percent of their gross revenue every month.

The city will also charge $50,000 for a gambling operator license that would last five years.  

“We’re venturing into new territory with sports gaming,” said Evans, who represents Ward 2. “I’m very excited that the District will be out of the box with this. Let’s just hope a lot of people gamble and we get a lot of money.”

The American Gaming Association lauded the vote, saying that “decision represents a step in the right direction when it comes to protecting consumers and the integrity of sports” in a statement.

Ted Leonsis, who owns the Washington Wizards, Capitals and Mystics, has said legal sports betting is a “new frontier” for professional sports teams that would “save the NFL.”