Legal Sports Betting Becomes Easier in Washington DC

British bookmaking giant and America's leading sportsbook operator William Hill officially took the Washington, DC sports betting scene to another level last Tuesday with the launch of its William Hill Sports Book App. The move signals the possible beginning of the end of the mobile platform rollout issues that have plagued the Commonwealth and the continuation of the relationship William Hill has worked hard to forge with the DC bettor.

As of Tuesday, bettors in the DC area were able to sign up and download the William Hill Sportsbook App on any Apple of Android device and use the app in a 2-block radius of Capital One Arena for now. It added to William Hill's retail/kiosk betting model that already existed at Capital One Arena and should realistically widen the gap between William Hill and the only other game in town, DC Lottery’s Intralot-powered GameBetDC which has been less-than-flattering since its launch this past May.

DC Platform Issues a Thing of the Past?

GameBet, the first sports betting platform to launch in DC has been nothing short of a disappointment since its inception nearly two years ago. It has been plagued by uncompetitive odds and a signup process that was viewed a cumbersome and unattractive to most customers of the platform.

It led to many shying away from GameBet in DC and to seek cross-state or offshore options for their sports betting needs. That was before William Hill entered the Washington, DC scene.

Montana, which launched a similar single-vendor, no-bid contract sports betting model under Intralot's GameBet has also seen its share of problems as have other states with similar lottery-centric platforms. Included in that are Oregon, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

William Hill to the Rescue

The battle between William Hill and GameBet is ongoing but threatens to become a more one-sided affair with William Hill's mobile app rollout. Truth be told, William Hill had already been dominating GameBet's betting platform. Not only did William Hill bring with it competitive odds but it also brought with it a client-focused best-in-class platform that resembles a more traditional and professional sports gambling option.

William Hill's launch of its retail/kiosk sports betting at Capital One Arena was looked upon as a savior to the DC sports betting scene. It not only ended a monopoly of an underwhelming GameBet platform, but it also provided solid, tangible competition and the first dedicated gambling destination in the city.

William Hill, now with the backing of Caesars Entertainment has become the biggest sports betting operator in the US for a reason. They are as good as it gets in the legal sports betting space from top-to-bottom.

William Hill, thanks to their immense experience as a top tier legal sports betting option have all-but rescued the DC scene.

William Hill to Further Separate Themselves from the Competition

William Hill has dominated GameBet since arrival on the scene in July. William Hill took in $9.1 million worth of bets for the month of August, while GameBet DC only took in $2.1 million worth of bets despite GameBet at the time boasting the only mobile sports betting option and William Hill having a retail-only model.

In November, William Hill’s temporary sportsbook at the Capital One Arena took $13.7 million in bets while GamBetDC generated just $3.9 million, which translates to approximately 350% more action at William Hill’s retail outlet than with GameBet’s mobile option.

William Hill is already the exclusive sports betting partner of the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, and Washington Mystics, who play at the Capital One Arena. Their profile couldn't be higher in the DC area.

With moneyline odds skewed and GameBet's lottery model, most analysts expect William Hill to further separate themselves from the competition in the DC market. The month of January will tell us a lot about the viability of GameBet in Washington DC and just how many bettors there were eager to abandon GameBet in favor of juggernaut William Hill.