District of Columbia gambling laws

District of Columbia gambling laws at a glance

Washington, DC regulates gambling as a city and a federal district at once. Local law, passed by the DC Council, sets up the lottery and sports wagering. Federal law applies on top, and the District's federal enclaves add rules you won't find in any state. Our District of Columbia online casino hub gives the short version; this page goes form by form.

Two forms carry a full legal framework and a regulator. The rest sit in gaps, and a gap isn't the same as permission. The sections below explain each one, with the statute or official source wherever one exists.

The Office of Lottery and Gaming: DC's gambling regulator

The DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (opens in a new tab) is the District's only gambling regulator. It runs the lottery, licenses sportsbooks and handles compliance, and its FAQs say sports wagering operators serving DC must hold a District license. There's no separate gaming commission of the kind found in New Jersey or Michigan.

The OLG's compliance and enforcement FAQs add two DC-specific bans. Wagering is barred in the federal enclaves inside the District, and bets on DC college and high school events are not allowed. Those rules show how tightly the District ties gambling to its own licenses and locations. The national guide to state gambling regulators compares the OLG with other agencies.

DC sports betting law: from the 2018 Act to the Sports Wagering Act of 2024

Sports betting is the one form of online real-money wagering that DC licenses. It became possible after the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling in Murphy v. NCAA struck down the federal ban on states authorizing sports betting, explained on our PASPA and Murphy v. NCAA page.

According to the OLG sports wagering FAQs (opens in a new tab), there are three license classes. Class A covers sportsbooks at designated venues, Class B covers smaller retail locations, and Class C is the districtwide online license. The DC Lottery's FanDuel announcement (opens in a new tab) marked the switch from GambetDC. Apps and practical rules are covered in our DC sports betting guide.

The DC Lottery

The District runs its own lottery through the OLG, and players must be 18. Whether tickets can be bought online isn't confirmed on the official pages we checked, so check the DC Lottery directly. Lottery prizes are taxable like other gambling winnings, and prizes that meet the IRS threshold and are at least 300 times the wager are reported on Form W-2G.

For how state lotteries handle online sales elsewhere, see our guide to state lotteries online.

Online casino law in the District of Columbia

No DC statute authorizes online casino games, and no DC agency issues online casino licenses. The District isn't on the list of seven states with legal online casinos: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

We also found no OLG statement aimed at offshore casino sites, and no DC cease-and-desist list for them. That silence doesn't make offshore play authorized. The OLG's rule that sports wagering operators must hold a District license shows the District expects gambling businesses serving DC residents to be licensed, and no offshore casino holds any DC license. Our guide on whether offshore casinos are legal explains how state and federal law fit together.

We don't tell readers that offshore play is legal in DC, and we don't tell them they'll be prosecuted. DC law, as recorded in official sources, simply doesn't license online casinos at all.

Federal gambling laws that apply in Washington, DC

Federal statutes matter more in DC than in most places, because the District is federal territory and has federal enclaves within it. Four laws come up most often.

UIGEA doesn't make placing a bet a federal crime for the player. As the text of 31 U.S.C. § 5363 (opens in a new tab) shows, it targets businesses accepting credit, transfers and checks for unlawful internet gambling, which is why US banks often decline casino deposits. Our pages on the Wire Act, UIGEA and the Illegal Gambling Business Act cover each in depth.

Gambling penalties in DC: what is and isn't published

The official DC sources we checked don't set out criminal penalties for illegal gambling by individuals, so we can't quote a DC fine or jail term. The penalties we can confirm are federal and aimed at operators: up to two years under the Wire Act and up to five years, plus forfeiture of money and property, under the Illegal Gambling Business Act (opens in a new tab).

For players, the practical consequences are financial. At an offshore casino, there is no DC agency to hear a complaint, no District protection for your balance, and the casino's own terms decide disputes. Michigan's Gaming Control Board, for example, sent cease-and-desist letters naming Silver Oak and Planet 7 on April 9, 2025, calling them illegal offshore operators. What such orders mean is explained on our cease-and-desist letters page.

Legal gambling ages in the District of Columbia

The OLG sets 18 as the minimum age for both the DC Lottery and sports wagering. Casino age doesn't apply because the District licenses no casinos. Offshore casinos set their own ages: Silver Oak's terms say 21, or the local legal age if higher. We show offers as 21+ throughout, or 18+ where allowed.

Ages differ across the line in Maryland and Virginia, and from state to state. See our table of gambling ages by state.

Sweepstakes casinos and daily fantasy in DC

DC has no sweepstakes casino ban. A third-party report says bill B26-0656, which would address sweepstakes casinos, is pending and hasn't passed. Elsewhere, bans now cover New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Montana, Louisiana, Maine, Indiana and Tennessee, and Oklahoma's SB 1589 took effect on November 1, 2026. Our DC sweepstakes casinos page and the national list of sweepstakes casino bans track the details.

We found no published OLG position on daily fantasy sports. If you play contests, check the operator's own terms for DC eligibility, and read our overview of daily fantasy sports laws.

Recent DC and federal gambling bills to watch

A Congressional Research Service report from August 2026 found no federal bill dedicated to legalizing or banning online casinos. Several prediction-market bills would keep casino-style contracts off federally regulated exchanges, as our page on prediction markets explains.

What DC gambling laws mean if you're considering an offshore casino

1. Start with the legal options: the DC Lottery and OLG-licensed sportsbooks are the only District-regulated forms.
2. If you look at an offshore casino, check who runs it and what license it names; most of our partners don't publish one.
3. Read the withdrawal caps, ID rules and bonus terms before depositing, because no DC agency can step in later.
4. Keep records of deposits, withdrawals and winnings for your federal tax return.
5. Set a budget and use deposit limits from day one.

Our guide to real money casinos in DC covers deposits, cashouts and taxes in practical terms.

Self-exclusion and gambling help in DC

The OLG runs a self-exclusion program for DC's licensed gambling and lists support on its problem gambling resources (opens in a new tab) page. The National Problem Gambling Helpline, run by NCPG, is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), by call or text, 24/7. Gambling is entertainment that costs money, and the house edge means losses are likely over time.

A District self-exclusion doesn't reach offshore casinos, so ask those sites directly and consider blocking software. See our guide to state self-exclusion lists.

Offers shown to DC readers, with the legal caveats

These offers link to offshore casinos that hold no license from the District of Columbia or any US state. DC law doesn't license online casinos at all, so check the law first and accept that you'd have no District regulator to turn to. We earn a commission from these links, and the order is a commercial ranking, not a test result.

Silver Oak Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Silver Oak's own pages conflict on wagering, quoting 30x on the offer page and 40x for slots in its terms (60x for table games and video poker), with no max withdrawal on the deposit bonus and deposits from $30. Its site advertises a different package, and the terms shown at sign-up apply.

Planet 7 Casino: $2,750 Welcome Bonus + 45 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Planet 7's own terms couldn't be read, and third-party reviewers list a 200% offer with 30x wagering on slots, a $1,000 max cashout and a $30 card minimum. Free spins and bonuses are slot-focused, and table games are often excluded or weighted lower.

21+ (18+ where allowed). Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: responsible gambling tools and free help. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).