WASHINGTON (7News) — Blackjack and poker tables could be in D.C.'s future.
The mayor's 2026 budget focuses heavily on sports and entertainment. She must manage forced spending cuts and projected revenue loss.
On page 15, 7News found the Poker and Blackjack Gaming Authorization Act of 2025.
The city said this just allows them to study what it would look like and start a dialogue with the outside marketplace.
"The District has enjoyed healthy revenues over the last 20 years and has been growing over the last 20 years," said Nina Albert, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. "Our population has grown, our business base has grown, we want to continue doing that, but at this moment to ensure we’re still collecting tax revenue and, as importantly, have jobs for people to go into, we need to be exploring every avenue of growth, including sports and entertainment."
Albert said it isn't trying to turn the hotel space in D.C. into Las Vegas but to bring poker, blackjack, and bingo, which you can bet on in tournaments or other forums.
But in the budget, it says individual businesses can spend $5,000 for a two-year license.
"What I think is interesting is the opportunity it presents to some of the more local hospitality businesses and a way to grow their businesses," said Ian Thomas, principal at Offit Kurman, who helped advise a variety of businesses when sports betting was getting off the ground in DC. "There is an infrastructure that came from sports betting so I hope this will be a lot more seamless when this happens."
Thomas envisions a world where poker rooms are found in hotels and restaurant groups, similar to what he said you see in Florida. He said revenue from poker rooms in the area is in the range of $12 million.
"It's a chance to provide a lifeline to an industry that’s been struggling in this post-COVID world," Thomas said. "If you think about extra 10s of thousands of dollars of revenue a year to a bar or restaurant is a really big thing and could be a stimulative to the local economy."
Deputy Mayor Albert said they have no estimates on revenue, but they believe there are multiple ways to design the events.
"You can have a single marquee event you can have multiple monthly events or you can have daily events," Albert said. "Depending on where you are in that continuum, that would change the economic profile, really understanding what would be best for DC residents."
Source: Wjla.com
Preview Image: Shutterstock
