FanDuel Remains Atop Washington, D.C. Sports Betting Market

• FanDuel kept its top spot in D.C. sports betting
• The district opened its online sports betting market up to several operators in July
• The first month of sports betting led to nearly $40 million in bets

FanDuel remains the top choice for bettors in Washington, D.C. despite the online sports betting market being opened up to three other operators.

The Office of Lottery and Gaming reported $39.6 million in sports bets for the month of August. The Washington, D.C. City Council opened the online sports betting market up to three other online sports betting operators in mid-July.

For the past several years the district only had one operator available for customers, GambetDC, before replacing the struggling operator with sports betting giant FanDuel this past April.

FanDuel Tops Other Four Operators

Members of the Washington, D.C. Council approved the District’s fiscal year budget on final reading in late June, which included language to allow up to seven online sports betting operators to do business in the district.

The new rules went into effect in the district in mid-July, with Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, and DraftKings joining FanDuel in the district’s online sports betting market. FanDuel had been the lone online sports betting operator in D.C. since April after taking over for GambetDC.

August was the district’s first full month with four operators, but bettors still flocked to place their wagers with FanDuel. The sports betting company reported $21,669,798 in total sports betting handle for the month, leading to $2.7 million in gross gaming revenue. FanDuel paid more than $550,000 in taxes to the district for the month.

FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook all have retail and online sports betting presences in the district. DraftKings only has an online sports betting license.

Here are the full handle and tax revenue totals for August:

• Caesars Sportsbook: $5,396,299 handle, $64,375 in tax revenue
• BetMGM: $5,162,492 handle, $90,117 in tax revenue
• FanDuel: $21,669,798 handle, $550,350 in tax revenue
• DraftKings: $7,405,304 handle, $262,550 in tax revenue

Fanatics Now Live in D.C.

Fanatics Sportsbook launched in the district last week after announcing a market access agreement and partnership with the Washington Spirit. As part of the agreement, Fanatics Betting and Gaming is now the team’s official sports betting partner. The sportsbook launched in D.C. on Thursday, Sept. 12.

The partnership with the Washington Spirit is Fanatics Betting and Gaming’s first sponsorship deal with a professional women’s sports organization.

Fanatics Sportsbook will offer online sports betting through a new Type-C license. The D.C. City Council expanded the district’s online sports betting market over the summer, allowing the existing Type-A sports betting license holders to offer online sports betting and outside operators to apply for a newly created Type-C licenses.

The new class of license allows sports franchises in the district to partner with one sports betting operator to conduct online sports betting. Type-C license holders are taxed at a rate of 30% of gross gaming revenue and will cost $2 million to acquire for five years. A $1 million renewal fee will be required after the initial term runs out.