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Council members of District of Columbia, Washington voted on Tuesday to approve the sole-source, no-bid $215 million deal with Intralot covering lottery and sports betting operations for the next five years.
According to city officials, the deal provides the most expedient solution with the greatest return on its investment. The contract was handed to the Greek lottery and gaming solutions provider despite accusations of conflicting interests and questionable dealing. It was backed by seven councilmembers, with five voting against.
The Council used an emergency measure to bypass a public procurement process, arguing that putting the contract out to a competitive tender process would have created delays in getting sports betting up and running in the District and lose sports betting revenue to the neighbouring states of Maryland and Virginia.
The ongoing investigation into Councilmember Jack Evans and his alleged relationship with Intralot dominated the hearing, calling into question every law he’s touched. Evans’ business dealings, both in gambling and in other industries, have been the subject of much reporting and at least one FBI’s raid in recent weeks.
Rival operators DraftKings and FanDuel have also joined the debate with an editorial in the Washington Post prior to the vote, urging an open market approach to sports wagering in the District.
