Washington, D.C. gamblers aged 18 and over now have another tool in their arsenal, as GambetDC, the region’s online lottery platform, has unveiled a new sports betting app.
The best part is this downloadable app from GambetDC is available for 18 and over Washington, D.C., bettors to place wagers on their favorite athletic contests.
The minimum gambling age by state will vary, but D.C. allows for 18-year-olds to bet on sports. This minimum age also applies to this new sports betting app, which will allow gamblers to wager on competitions from their iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.
After several setbacks, the sports betting application will be ready for download on Apple iOS and Android operating systems during the first few days of June.
D.C.’s app will only cover a limited number of athletic leagues and will not offer entertainment or political betting lines like many offshore sportsbooks provide. Additionally, while college sports betting is allowed, any NCAA contest held within D.C. borders will not have lines on which to wager.
There are several professional sports leagues that are in the planning stages of reopening after the COVID-19 quarantine restrictions are lifted, but what will GambetDC’s app have on the table for 18+ gamblers when it is rolled out?
The PGA Tour is set to restart play on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Over 18 bettors can place a wager on which golfer they think will win the tournament so long as GambetDC has the application debuted in time.
The UFC has already resumed its schedule and is holding events without fans in attendance. MMA betting lines are approved for the gambling app, and the UFC’s next Fight Night is on June 6th. These combat sports odds could represent the very first bets placed on the application.
Wagering on NASCAR will also be an option in early June, with the stock car racing circuit competing in front of empty stands. Races are occurring each weekend, so when the app is unveiled there will certainly be odds on which racer will cross the finish line first.
18+ bettors will have to wait until further into the summer for the MLB, NHL, and NBA to resume play. The NFL is currently planning to start on time and will likely come out of this entire quarantine relatively unscathed.
Wagering on the lowly Washington Redskin’s chances will be allowable via GambetDC’s new app, but bets will not be able to be placed while at any Redskins game or around the stadium.
Betting will not be allowed in geo-fenced “bubbles” that encircle all regional professional sports stadiums, according to NBC Washington. Betting on the app will also be banned in the immediate areas that surround US Government building enclaves. The GambetDC app will not accept wagers from locations outside of D.C. city limits, either.
A Washington, D.C., address is not required to play, so 18 and over gamblers may be tempted to visit the nation’s capital to get in on the mobile sports betting action.
This sports betting application should serve as a testing ground for potential mobile casinos in the future that allow for wagering on more than just sports.
Unfortunately, D.C. has not yet passed any legislation allowing for traditional online casino gaming, so if that’s where your betting interest lies, you will have to use an offshore casino site in order to play online blackjack, baccarat, roulette, slots, and poker.
Hopefully, Washington, D.C., and other states will wise up and begin allowing domestic online casino gambling, but until then – and it will likely be several years, if ever – offshore operators will cure what ails you.
Further, for gamblers under aged 18-20, while sports betting is now available to them inside D.C., the minimum age for local casino play – whether online or off – is likely to always be 21 and up.