Disputes in Washington End Online Gambling Program

[Derickhelpful]

Last year, the District of Columbia seemed to hold all the aces in the high-stakes race among states to offer Internet gambling. Its program, iGaming, was on track to be the first one in the country, and it promised revenue for the district from Texas hold ’em poker, blackjack and bingo.

The 10-2 vote on Feb. 7 has, for now, ended Washington’s foray into online gambling. The dustup has also opened a window into iGaming’s tumultuous creation and collapse, spurring calls for investigation and questions about the conduct of city officials.

The iGaming program was approved in 2010 in an amendment added to a budget bill at 2:17 a.m. A year earlier the Council had approved a contract to operate the city’s overall lottery, which included a provision allowing new types of gambling, though the Council had rarely — if ever — discussed Internet gambling, members said.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/us...ington-dc.html

[Anthony]

It is a shame, D.C. really needed the funds gambling would have generated.