FanDuel launches Washington DC retail sportsbook
US market leader targets dominance in the district utilizing existing DC United partnership
FanDuel has launched a retail sportsbook in Washington DC at DC United’s home ground Audi Field.
The sportsbook, which stretches over 2,700 square feet features three wagering stations, 47 HD televisions, two large video walls, and 18 self-service kiosks.
The launch marks the first time that a sportsbook has opened within a Major League Soccer (MLS) stadia.
DC United and FanDuel first inked an exclusive long-term partnership to develop a retail sportsbook in October 2021. The partnership between the two allows for both retail and mobile sports betting, subject to two separate types of market permutation applied at a district-wide level.
Permutation one allows operators to launch online mobile sportsbooks across a large proportion of Washington DC, with an implied taxation method of 20% on all operators.
The second permutation limits online mobile sportsbook functionality to within two blocks of the operator’s respective sports team partner, with an implied tax of 10% and the maintenance of Gambet DC’s monopoly on mobile sportsbooks in DC.
FanDuel is understood to have chosen option two, a move which could limit the US market leader’s effectiveness in garnering market share in the district, with the operator limiting itself to retail sports betting for the foreseeable future.
At present, there are only three online sportsbooks in DC, BetMGM, Caesars, and Gambet DC. FanDuel has submitted its own application but has set no definitive timetable for a launch.
BetMGM utilizes a partnership with the Washington Nationals, operating a retail sportsbook at the Nationals Park stadium, while Caesars operates in DC through a partnership with the ownership group for Capital One Arena, Monumental Sports and Entertainment.
In a move that was derided by most industry experts, Intralot was awarded a district-wide monopoly on mobile sports betting by the DC Council in 2019 following a $215m no-bid contract.
This led to the launch of the Gambet DC app.
From the outset, the app was criticized for issues ranging from poor pricing to unreliable tech and substandard UX/UI, culminating in an outage during this year’s Super Bowl in which iPhone users were unable to access it at all due to an update glitch.
In March, officials from the Washington DC Lottery admitted the Gambet DC app finished 2021 approximately $4m in the red thanks to increased marketing costs.
Revised estimates have GambetDC bringing in just under $1.5m in 2022.