District of Columbia: status at a glance
| Online casino | Not authorized |
|---|---|
| Sports betting | Online and retail |
| Online poker | Not authorized |
| Sweepstakes casinos | No ban found in our sources bill B26-0656 would legalise iGaming and ban sweepstakes casinos, pending |
Where the District stands, product by product
The District of Columbia is not a state, but the Council sets its own gambling law, much as a state legislature would.
- Sports wagering: authorized and available online, according to the research behind the status table above. The DC Lottery's home page, which we read, carries no sports wagering content, so the Lottery's front page gives no details of the licensed products.
- Lottery: the DC Lottery runs an online lottery, which its home page calls DC iLottery, and lists e-Instants among its games. Its stated rule is that a player must be 18 or older.
- Online casino: not authorized. No licensed internet casino operates under District law.
- Online poker: not authorized, and the table lists no operator.
- Sweepstakes casinos: the status table shows no ban. A bill described below would change that.
The Lottery page also names the District of Columbia Office of Lottery and Gaming, abbreviated OLG, and links to a page titled "OLG Regulation and Oversight." That office is the District's gaming body. Trade press describes the pending Council bill as giving the same office the job of licensing any future online casino.
The pending bill
The pending measure is Council bill B26-0656. Trade press reports that it is called the Internet Gaming and Consumer Protection Act of 2026, that Councilmember Wendell Felder introduced it, and that it would authorize online casino games under the Office of Lottery and Gaming, set a minimum age of 21 for them, and prohibit dual-currency sweepstakes products in the District. Those reports say it remains in the Council's Committee on Human Services after a single public hearing on May 4, and that it had not passed as of early November 2026. One report cites enforcement powers for the Office and the Attorney General if the bill became law.
Two cautions apply. First, reports differ on the fee and tax details, so none are stated here. Second, the Council's bill-tracking site asks automated clients not to read it, so this page does not rely on the bill text. Everything about its contents here is trade press reporting, and the Council's own record is the place to check a provision. Until a law is enacted, nothing changes: online casino play is not authorized and a sweepstakes casino has no District statute written against it.
How sweepstakes casinos fit the law elsewhere is covered on the are sweepstakes casinos legal page, and the states that ban them page lists where a statute already applies.
What a resident should know
- Sports wagering is the one product the District licenses for online play, according to the research. A resident choosing a product should rely on the operator list the Office of Lottery and Gaming publishes, not an operator's own description of its license.
- A casino website that is not authorized under District law holds no District license. Where it is licensed by a foreign regulator, that license gives it no standing in the District. The offshore casinos page explains what such licenses mean.
- Federal law sets some limits that apply everywhere, including the District, and the federal gambling law page sets them out.
- A sweepstakes casino is not licensed by the District. Whether the dual-currency model is lawful here has not been tested in a District court decision we read.
Neighbors
The District borders Maryland and Virginia, and their rules differ from the District's. Maryland's page is at Maryland and Virginia's at Virginia. Authorization in one jurisdiction carries no weight in the next.
Where to get help
The DC Lottery pages read for this overview did not give a District helpline number. The national line is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), and more resources are on the responsible gambling page.
Frequently asked questions
Is online sports betting legal in Washington, DC?
Yes. The research behind the status table shows online sports wagering as authorized. The DC Lottery's own front page, however, gives no sports wagering details.
Are online casinos legal in Washington, DC?
No online casino is authorized under District law. A Council bill, B26-0656, would change that if it passes.
Can I play at a sweepstakes casino in Washington, DC?
Trade press reports that no District statute names sweepstakes casinos at present and that the pending bill would prohibit them. We read no District court decision on the model.
How old do I have to be to play?
The DC Lottery states that players must be 18 or older for its games. For online casino games, trade press reports the pending bill would set the age at 21.