Washington D.C. Sports Betting: The Best Washington DC Betting Sites for 2026
By Matt Speakman,Betting Expert at online-gambling.com
Matt Speakman
Betting Expert at online-gambling.com Sports betting is legal in Washington DC and has been since 2019. The District ran a single lottery-operated app for the first few years, but that ended in 2024: FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, Caesars and Fanatics now all take bets anywhere in DC, alongside retail sportsbooks at the major venues. Daily fantasy sports are legal too. What the District still does not have is a legal online casino, poker room or pari-mutuel racing.
Gambling Laws in Washington D.C.
Sports betting is regulated, but the rest of the market is not open. There are no casinos or race tracks operating in the District, and online casino games and poker remain illegal. Interestingly, Washington D.C. being a district is treated differently as its laws are determined by a council rather than a legislature, and Congress retains a review power over what that council passes. Charitable gaming and the Lottery are both legal, and the Lottery’s parent agency, the Office of Lottery and Gaming, is the body that licenses and supervises sports betting.
The District issues three licence classes: Class A for the four major sports venues, Class B for other operators and retail locations, and Class C for smaller establishments. The Class B route is what opened district-wide mobile betting to national brands in 2024.
- Our articles are based off factual reports from trusted sources such as: The Washington Post and the The Washington Times
- We keep tabs on not only the sports betting but online casino industry as well. That being said, we create slots and roulette guides.
- We stay on top of any updates in the law by keeping a close eye on the Office of Lottery and Gaming, the agency that licenses and regulates sports betting in Washington D.C.
Most Popular Sports in Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. is home to Major League franchises in all four of the biggest US sports, plus strong collegiate programs. The city has had plenty to bet on lately: the Capitals lifted the Stanley Cup in 2018 and the Nationals won the World Series in 2019.
National Football League – Washington Commanders
The franchise was established in 1932 and competes in the NFC East. It played as the Redskins until 2020, spent two seasons as the Washington Football Team and has been the Commanders since February 2022. Home games are at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, renamed from FedExField in August 2024, and the team trains in Virginia. The club has 5 league championships including 3 Super Bowls, the last in the 1991 season.
National Basketball Association – Washington Wizards
The Wizards compete in the Eastern Conference Southeast Division in the NBA and play home games out of the Capitol One Arena out of Chinatown in Washington D.C. They were founded in 1961 as the Chicago packers and moved to D.C. in 1973 as the Capital Bullets and finally rebranded as Washington Wizards in 1997. They franchise won 7 Division tiles, 4 conference titles and 1 Championship.
Major League Baseball – Washington Nationals
The Nationals compete in the National League East and were established in 1969 as the Montreal Expos before moving to Washington D.C. ahead of the 2005 season. Struggling at first after relocating, the team has had considerable success since, winning several division titles and then the World Series in 2019, the first major championship for a Washington baseball club since 1924.
National Hockey League – Washington Capitals
The Caps are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference and were established in 1974 as an expansion franchise alongside the Kansas City Scouts. Their home field is the Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C. They have won 12 Division championships, 3 Presidents’ Trophies, 2 conference championships and 1 Stanley cup in the 2017-18 season.
Local History of Sports Betting
Washington D.C. was not among the first jurisdictions to legalize sports wagering, but it moved soon after PASPA fell. The Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act cleared congressional review in May 2019, retail books opened later that year, and the market has been reshaped twice since: a single lottery app from 2020, then open district-wide competition from 2024.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1982 | 15-Gambling law relaxes with the creation of the District of Columbia Lottery |
| 2011 | The DC Council approves online poker and casinos as part of the Lottery but was overturned by congress |
| 2012 | Attempt to sell online lottery tickets is turned down |
| 2016 | Daily Fantasy Sports are officially legal as they claim to be a skill-based game |
| 2019 | Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act becomes official in May 2019; the first retail sportsbooks open |
| 2020 | GambetDC launches as the District’s single citywide mobile sportsbook |
| 2024 | GambetDC closes in April and FanDuel takes over the contract; a Class B licensing change then opens district-wide mobile betting to competing operators |
Legal Online Sports Betting Age in Washington D.C.
The Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act set 18 as the District’s legal minimum age to place or cash a sports wager, which makes DC one of the few US jurisdictions below 21. Individual operators can and do set the bar higher, though: BetMGM and Caesars require 21, so check the terms of the app you sign up with. The legal drinking age is 21, as is the minimum age to acquire marijuana.
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Sports Betting Age
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Alcohol Age
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Weed Age
Is Online Sports Betting Legal Outside of the State?
Your DC account only works inside the District: geolocation checks every wager, so a bet placed across the line in Virginia will be refused. The good news is that most of the surrounding area is covered. Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia all run legal online sportsbooks, and the same national brands operate in each, so you can usually log into the same app once you cross a state line. A handful of states still ban sports betting outright, including Utah.
Taxes on Your Winnings: Do You Have to Pay Anything?
Two separate taxes are worth keeping apart. The first is the one operators pay on their gross gaming revenue, which the District sets by licence class: 20% for Class A, 10% for Class B and 30% for Class C. That does not come out of your account.
The second is the tax on your winnings, and it does. Gambling winnings are ordinary income for both the IRS and the District. Sportsbooks withhold 24% for federal tax on payouts that hit the reporting thresholds, and DC income tax is then owed on the rest at the District’s regular graduated rates. Smaller wins are not withheld at source, but they are still reportable, so keep your betting records.
Upcoming Regulation Changes in Washington D.C. Betting Law
The big regulatory question was settled in 2024, when the District dropped the single-app model and let Class B licensees offer mobile betting district-wide. That is why DC went from one underperforming lottery app to five national sportsbooks inside a year, and competition on pricing and promotions has improved sharply as a result.
What is not on the table is online casino or poker. Neither has a bill before the Council, and Congress overturned the District’s last attempt at iGaming back in 2011. Anyone tracking the market should watch the Council’s budget cycle, since the 2024 expansion arrived through the budget rather than a standalone gaming bill.
Sports Betting Guides for Nearby States