In a letter sent to D.C. City Council chairman Phil Mendelson earlier this month, FanDuel president Christian Genetski warned that the operator may dissolve its partnership with the city to operate its sports betting platform.
Genetski sent the letter before lawmakers considered a 2025 budget that included provisions to expand the sports betting market in the District, a budget that has since gained approval from the D.C. Council.
The new budget will create a new Class C license, allowing sportsbooks to partner with one of the state’s professional sports teams and offer mobile sports betting across the District. Currently, FanDuel is the only betting platform available District-wide through its partnership with the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG).
Mayor Muriel Bowser still needs to approve the 2025 budget, which still faces opposition due to the tax implications, but if she does, FanDuel has said it would “invoke its termination right” and end its agreement with the Online Lottery and Gaming office.
“Any District-wide sportsbook operations by OLG would no longer have participation from FanDuel,” Genetski commented.
FanDuel could still partner with a local sports team and launch its mobile platform in the District under a Class C license if it terminates the agreement. The company already holds a Class A license, which allows it to run a retail sportsbook at Audi Field, where D.C. United and the Washington Spirit soccer teams play.
FanDuel stated after the 2025 budget passed through the D.C. City Council that it “remains committed to providing D.C. residents with a best-in-class sports betting offering under its current contract with the Office of Lottery and Gaming, while also maximizing revenue to the District under that agreement.”
FanDuel exiting the agreement would potentially leave the DC Lottery without a partner to operate online and retail D.C. sports betting kiosks across the District. Prior to FanDuel taking over on April 15 this year, Intralot ran GambetDC on behalf of the DC Lottery from 2020.
