Beneath the bustling streets of Washington, DC, where political savvy can often overshadow market efficiency, a Greek gaming titan, Intralot, now faces the scrutiny of the city’s watchful guardian, Attorney General Brian Schwalb. Intralot, once the helmsman of the capital’s controversial mobile sports betting app, GambetDC, might soon feel the tightening grip of an official investigation.
Within the labyrinthine corridors of justice, documents have been summoned from Intralot by Schwalb—intriguing breadcrumbs that could lead to a broader probe—though the DC Superior Court’s sealed filings cloak the affair in mystery for now. This isn’t Intralot’s first dance with controversy in DC; echoes of grievance have reverberated through the city council chambers, some members casting long shadows of cronyism that harken back to the award of the city’s lottery contract to the same company in 2009.
Alex Koma of the Washington City Paper hints at something sinister brewing below the surface, as the attorney general wields the authority to dissect any violations of “false claims laws”—a scalpel that could potentially excise Intralot from the city’s future, leaving financial penalties in its wake.
It was March’s changing of the guard that signaled GambetDC’s downfall—Intralot, bowing out, entrusted the mobile betting landscape to Flutter Entertainment’s FanDuel. FanDuel’s entrance was a burst of life, a stark contrast to Intralot’s melancholic tune, generating a staggering $30 million handle and $5 million in gross gaming revenue within its inaugural month. This was just the beginning, as the once lonely marketplace welcomed more competitors to its fold.
Clutching to the remains of its contract with the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG), Intralot has played the puppeteer, unwinding its strings still tied to the city’s fortune. But if Schwalb’s investigation leads to expulsion, OLG might find itself penning new contracts—perhaps with FanDuel itself.
Yet the plot thickens as Intralot grapples with a mandate from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development, the decree that foreign contractors must carve off portions of their hefty contracts for small local businesses—a mandate with which Intralot has struggled, citing woes with subcontractors not fulfilling their roles.
Washington’s sports betting scene, having been electrified by FanDuel’s introduction, has become a shimmering arena of promise, overshadowing the now obsolete GambetDC. Bettors who once cursed GambetDC’s clunky interface and miserly odds now revel in a reinvigorated environment, thanks to the fresh presence of BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and DraftKings.
The curtain has not closed on Intralot despite the stage’s reset. Attorney General Schwalb’s forthcoming investigation may well reveal the dark narrative hidden in the intricate tapestry of DC’s contentious contract-awarding history—a narrative that may bring to light the clandestine webs of backroom dealings and the specters of cronyism that haunt the city’s past.
