Washington D.C. Sports Betting Overview

Professional Teams: Redskins (NFL), Wizards (NBA), Nationals (MLB), Capitals (NHL).

Prominent College Teams: Georgetown, George Washington, Maryland 

About the Pro Teams: The Redskins play in the NFC East where they are behind both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. There is hope for the future for the Redskins, however, after they drafted quarterback Dwayne Haskins, from Ohio St. in the first round of the NFL Draft. 

The Wizards suffered a lot of injuries and were a disappointing 32-50 last season and failed to make the playoffs. They are now looking at a possible rebuild, so don’t count on much from them in 2020.

It’s also been a disappointing first half of the season for the Nationals, who were the favorites to win the National League East, but are playing right around .500 and ar in fourth place in the division. The talent is there for the team to have a nice turn around.

After winning their first Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals were upset in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. As long as superstar Alex Ovechkin is on the roster the Caps are always a contender.    

About the Colleges: Georgetown is trying to bring its basketball program back to its glory days with head coach Patrick Ewing, one of the greatest players in school history. Last season the Hoyas finished 19-14 and in fifth place in the Big East, but did not make the NCAA Tournament. Look for better things in 2020.

George Washington is a school known more for its academics (I’m proud to say my daughter is an alum) than its sports programs. GW went 9-24 and finished bar the bottom of the Atlantic 10 last season. 

Maryland, which is located in College Park, not far from the D.C. area is the only area school with a Division I football team. The Terps had a rough year when they were hit with scandal when a player, Jordan McNair, died after a rough practice. Maryland finished 5-7 and have a new head coach in Mike Locksley and a new roster. In basketball, Maryland went 23-11 last year and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.     

Sports Betting in D.C. Area

Washington DC sports betting law permits one sportsbook located in four of the city’s major stadiums. The law was approved in early 2019 and the first in-person bets are are expected to be live in time for the start of the NFL season in September. Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park and the St. Elizabeth’s East Entertainment & Sports Arena may each operate a retail sportsbook.

Bars, restaurants and certain other establishments not located within two blocks of a stadium may apply for Class B licenses to offer in-person sports betting.

Mobile Apps

Online betting will take a bit longer to implement as the DC Lottery finalizes its contract with Greek gaming company Intralot, develops the technology required to run a mobile betting app and then get it all approved by the DC council.

DC Lottery officials have stated they believe mobile betting will not be available until January 2020 at the earliest. Don’t be surprised if the actual start date comes a bit later.

The DC Lottery has been granted a monopoly over citywide mobile sports betting. The DC Lottery sports betting app will be the only option that’s available across the city. Each of the area’s four stadiums detailed above may also offer mobile wagering, but only for customers who are actually on-premises.

Best Sports Sites in Washington D.C

The biggest media outlet in the city is the Washington Post (washingtonpost.com), but the Washington Times (washingtontimes.com) gives more details on the sports teams at times so don’t leave them out of your daily reading. You could also go to college websites for more information on each of their sports teams.

Photo by Jorge Alcala