Washington DC sports betting had an unlikely leader for the second straight month.
William Hill took $12.2 million in bets during September from its temporary retail sportsbook at Capital One Arena. That’s nearly four times the $3.3 million bet with GambetDC, the district-wide mobile DC sports betting app operated by Intralot for the DC Lottery.
William Hill did almost triple the revenue as GambetDC with $1.3 million, good for 10.7% hold. GambetDC had $500,000 in revenue for a 15.3% hold.
William Hill leading is unlikely because of its retail-only operation but the picture clears up when looking at GambetDC’s offering. Even after William Hill’s retail handle topped GambetDC’s online-only handle in August, Intralot is still offering extremely juiced lines that even novice bettors know to avoid.
Bettors seeking better DC sports betting experience
Those juiced lines are leading to other DC sports betting lines – the kind that wrap around the block waiting to bet with William Hill.
“The early results there have been phenomenal,” William Hill US CEO Joe Asher told Fantini Research. “There’s often a line down the block for folks looking to get in despite the fact that we’ve got 14 kiosks and seven betting windows. It’s just been amazing to see the reaction to that.”
https://twitter.com/MaineUPTDC/status/1313545435865395206
Bettors might need to invest some of their winnings in a winter coat to deal with those long lines for now. But another solution is in the works: William Hill announced its permanent sportsbook at Capital One Arena will open sometime in early 2021.
The official sportsbook should be a major improvement over the temporary setup in the arena’s box office. The multi-level space will include 12 windows and 10 kiosks for betting along with access to William Hill’s mobile app, which will be geofenced to the arena.
William Hill confirmed the mobile app will launch separately from the permanent book opening but didn’t provide a timeline.
William Hill crushing GambetDC so far
Many in the US sports betting industry expected Intralot to struggle anywhere it has competition when its lines were first seen in Montana.
This kind of disparity is still a bit surprising, though.
GambetDC has taken $6.4 million in bets since it launched at the end of May. William Hill, meanwhile, has $21.3 million in handle since opening at Capital One Arena July 31.
Neither the DC Lottery nor Intralot responded when asked if any changes were being considered.
GambetDC taking in small bets
Although bettors are going to William Hill, there are still people utilizing the GambetDC app.
The app took 92,315 wagers last month, up 38.1% over August. William Hill saw more bets too, though, with its 113,052 bets up 63.6% from August.
That means the bets, on average, are higher at William Hill than GambetDC. William Hill averaged $107.79 per bet last month while GambetDC averaged just $35.41 each bet.
Since launch, GambetDC averages $32.26 per bet while William Hill averages $117.13.
