DC committee votes to repeal egaming law
Committee votes 3-2 in favour of repeal " legislation likely to be scrapped when bill goes before DC Council
A DC Council committee has voted in favour of a bill to repeal the state’s egaming legislation, following concerns over a lack of transparency in the passing of legislation.
The Washington Times reports that the DC committee of finance and revenue voted 3-2 in favour of a bill to repeal legislation, originally passed in April last year. The bill will now go before the full council where it is likely to be passed after Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced his support of the repeal.
The district’s egaming legislation has been the subject of debate after budget measures to allow lottery provider Intralot to offer online poker were attached to its $38m lottery contract. This led to council members protesting the decision with many believing companies bidding for the lottery contract should have been allowed to submit proposals for online gambling as part of their original pitches, and a public hearing into allegations of self-interest against Councilman Michael A. Brown, who had championed legislation.
Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby launched an investigation into the matter earlier this year, finding that DC chief financial officer Natwar M. Gandhi “materially changed” the terms of the contract after Intralot had been selected.
Should the repeal go through, Brown has announced that we will introduce a stand-alone bill to resurrect egaming in DC.