United States - District of Columbia: gambling regulation and licensing

The District of Columbia is supervised by the Office of Lottery and Gaming, which trades publicly as the DC Lottery. It is a single agency covering lottery games, sports betting and charitable games, and it also administers the retailer network through which lottery products are sold. The District is a useful case study because it moved early on sports wagering and did so through its lottery agency rather than by creating a new commission. That choice put the same body in charge of operating a monopoly product and supervising a competitive one, a combination that has drawn scrutiny in several jurisdictions that took the same route. This profile records the agency and its published functions and leaves the detail as honest gaps. Licence categories, fees, tax rates, advertising rules and compliance obligations have not yet been verified against primary sources. Anyone assessing the District should note that its small geographic footprint makes geolocation and cross-border leakage a live operational issue in a way it is not for a large state, since a bettor can move between three jurisdictions with different rules in the course of a short walk.

Regulator

Office of Lottery and Gaming

Regulator type

Sub-national body

Headline tax

Not yet verified

Licence required

Not yet verified

Minimum age

Not yet verified

Tax base

Not yet verified

Advertising permitted

Yes

Affiliate rules

Affiliates are not separately licensed. The operator remains accountable for advertising published on its behalf, and only state-licensed operators may be promoted.

Celebrity and influencer rules

Advertising must not be directed at people below the legal minimum gambling age, which constrains the use of personalities and channels with an under-age following.

Penalties for breach

T supervises advertising as part of its licensing function and can take disciplinary action against the licence.he DC Office of Lottery and Gaming

1. DC Lottery - Office of Lottery and Gaming

   Government of the District of Columbia

   Tier 1Accessed 27 Aug 2026
2. D.C. Code § 36-621.01, Sports Wagering Lottery

   Council of the District of Columbia

   Tier 1Accessed 29 Aug 2026