state · United States
Online gambling and sports betting in District of Columbia
DC permits regulated online and retail sports betting under the Lottery’s oversight, but offers no legal online casino; operators require OLG licenses and approved lists are published. Advertising rules for offshore gambling rely on general unlicensed gambling prohibitions.
- Online sports betting
- Legal
- Online casino
- Not legal
- Retail sports betting
- Legal
- Online live since
- 2019/05
Checked 2026-09-21. Not legal advice.
District of ColumbiaOnline sports betting: Legal · Online casino: Not legal
- Online betting and casino legal 7
- Online sports betting only 27
- No legal online gambling 17
Boundaries: US Census Bureau (public domain), via geoBoundaries
Casino, sports betting, poker and more
D.C. allows sports betting online via the OLG-licensed framework, but real-money casino games and poker are generally prohibited. Poker has been the subject of proposed legalization, not current law; sweeps/social casinos are not clearly regulated as gambling.
| Product | Status | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Online sports betting | Legal | — |
| Online casino | Not legal | — |
| Online poker | Prohibited | Illegal for real-money online poker; D.C. has no current licensing regime. OLG card-gaming proposals were not enacted. |
| Sweepstakes and social casinos | Restricted | D.C.’s 2026 Internet Gaming and Consumer Protection Act (CB 26-0656) would ban dual-currency sweepstakes casinos and authorize cease-and-desist orders, but it was still pending, not law. |
| Prediction markets | Licensed | District of Columbia Kalshi (CFTC-regulated event contracts) Status: licensed Note: KalshiEX LLC is a CFTC‑registered designated contract market listing event contracts; CFTC efforts to block political event contracts were rejected in Kalshi v. CFTC (D.D.C. 2024; D.C. Cir. 2024). Polymarket (crypto prediction market) Status: restricted Note: CFTC Blockratize/Polymarket cease‑and‑desist and $1.4m civil penalty for operating an unregistered facility for event‑based binary options under the Commodity Exchange Act, Order 22‑09 (2022). Crypto.com / Robinhood event contracts Status: licensed Note: Event‑style prediction products offered via federally regulated derivatives or securities platforms; DC residents have access through the “full federal catalog of prediction markets” (Kalshi, Robinhood, etc.) as financial products, not local gambling, as of 2026. Local DC gambling law Status: licensed (sportsbooks only) / unregulated (prediction markets) Note: DC specifically licenses sportsbooks (FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, etc.) but does not establish a separate local licensing or prohibition regime for federally regulated prediction markets; access is described as parallel to sportsbooks in 2026. |
| Mystery boxes | Unregulated | Set nationally. Unregulated federally; FTC 2025 settlement required loot-box disclosures, but no U.S. law/regulator has classified paid mystery boxes or loot boxes as gambling. |
Key facts
- Online sports betting legal via DC Lottery and licensed operators
- No lawful online casino; only sports wagering and lottery
- Retail sportsbooks allowed for licensed Class A/B operators
- DC Lottery Office of Lottery and Gaming regulates sports wagering
- Lawful sports wagering authorized under Subchapter II, Sports Wagering (Title 36, Ch.6)
- Mobile/online sports wagering restricted to persons physically in DC
- District may operate online sports wagering directly via Lottery
- Operators must be licensed; unlicensed sports wagering prohibited
- Approved sports wagering license lists published by regulator
- Major brands (e.g., Caesars, FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings) licensed for DC
Regulator and law
DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG)
DC Code Title 36, Chapter 6, Subchapter II – Sports Wagering.
Advertising unlicensed gambling in District of Columbia
Not confirmed. unconfirmed.
Sports wagering without required DC licensure is prohibited; any marketing that facilitates such activity risks breaching these prohibitions, but no explicit standalone ban on advertising offshore gambling was located.
National rules also apply — see online gambling regulation in United States.
Checking a licence
The regulator publishes a list of licensed or authorised operators.
Recent developments
- Updated lists of approved sports wagering licenses published through at least April 2026
- District-operated mobile sports wagering platform continues alongside private operators
- Class A and B operator framework maintained with venue-based and potential district-wide mobile rights
What we could not confirm
- Exact statutory provision specifically banning advertising offshore/unlicensed gambling not confirmed
- Exact public URL for the OLG’s online list of licensed operators not confirmed
- Whether any iCasino-style products might be explored legislatively beyond sports wagering
- Precise launch date of first OLG-operated mobile sportsbook beyond 2019 authorization
- Current D.C. treatment of sweepstakes/social casinos
- Current D.C. treatment of prediction markets such as Kalshi/Polymarket
- Current D.C. treatment of loot boxes/mystery boxes
- Whether any specific D.C. proposal has enacted online poker legalization by 2026
Sources
- code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/36-621.02
- code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/titles/36/chapters/6/subchapters/II
- code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/36-621.05
- code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/36-621.11
- dclottery.com/sites/default/files/2024-09/OLG-SW-Approved-Sports-Wagering-Licenses-Rev-09.2024_1.pdf
- dclottery.com/sites/default/files/2025-08/OLG-SW-Approved-Sports-Wagering-Licenses-Rev-07.10.25_0.pdf
- dclottery.com/sites/default/files/2024-08/2024%20Licenses.pdf
- code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/36-621.15(Perm)
- pokernews.com/us-poker/dc/
- pokerlistings.com/news/d-c-online-poker-proposal-puts-igaming-on-the-table-and-sweepstakes-off-it
- abca.dc.gov/publication/poker-district
- abca.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/abra/publication/attachments/OAGOpinions_PokerInDC_0.pdf
- onlinepokerlegal.com/laws/washington-dc/
- online-gambling.com/us/washington-dc/
- sbcamericas.com/2025/05/29/dc-mayor-bowser-proposes-legalize-poker/
- gambleonline.co/district-of-columbia/
- deadspin.com/sweepstakes-casinos/legal-news/dc-igaming-proposal-raises-questions-for-sweepstakes-casinos/
- sweepsy.com/news/washington-dc-bill-ban-sweeps-legalize-igaming/
- iclg.com/practice-areas/gambling-laws-and-regulations/usa-washington-d-c
- sweepsy.com/us/
- natlawreview.com/article/cftc-issues-cease-and-desist-order-to-binary-options-operator-using-smart-contracts
- cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8478-22
- dlapiper.com/en/insights/publications/2022/1/cftc-settles-enforcement-action-against-defi-platform-polymarket
- dentons.com/en/insights/alerts/2024/october/1/kalshi-v-cftc-effect-on-the-cftcs-rulemaking-and-a-new-era-for-event-contracts
- lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d4c1ec5b-7425-4d83-99cf-8126243c6f9a
Researched 2026-09-21 from public sources and summarised by the Brandfense team. Not legal advice — confirm with the regulator or your counsel before acting.