William Hill is still, by far, the Washington DC sports betting leader in the latest non-shocker update out of the nation’s capital.
For the third straight month, William Hill’s results were far better than those from the DC Lottery‘s mobile platform.
If the success of mobile elsewhere is instructive, the William Hill lead via retail could have more to do with what DC Lottery platform operator Intralot is doing wrong.
Intralot isn’t just struggling in the DC sports betting market either. A spokesperson for the Montana Lottery recently said handle on their Intralot-powered platform is just $11 million since Montana sports betting launched in March.
Representatives from Intralot did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
William Hill controls DC sports betting market
William Hill took $14.4 million in handle during October, up 17.8% from its September results, according to the DC Lottery.
That’s compared to just $4.2 million in handle for GambetDC.
It’s no surprise William Hill continues to dominate as nothing has changed in the DC market. Intralot is still offering over-juiced odds on the only mobile sports betting app available throughout the district. The district’s council controversially decided in 2018 to license only one provider for mobile wagering.
William Hill, meanwhile, is still working out of a temporary sportsbook at the Capital One Arena‘s box office. Lines routinely wrap around the block waiting for the book to open, William Hill US CEO Joe Asher said in an interview last month.
No sports betting changes expected for Lottery
While many in the US sports betting industry recognize there’s a problem with how the DC market is shaking out, officials don’t intend to make changes anytime soon.
In fact, the Lottery sounds content with its results so far, according to a spokesperson:
“[GambetDC] is not designed to pay out like a casino-style sports book or to attract high-stakes bettors and odds shoppers. Our aim is to maximize revenue returned to the District by offering a convenient and exciting form of entertainment to casual bettors. While there is a disparity in the handle between the private operated and lottery operated sports books, as expected, the lottery operated is returning a higher revenue to the District, also as expected. Our mission is to maximize return to the District, and we strive to fulfill that every day in all areas of our gaming portfolio.”
Fact-checking the Lottery
About 50% of GambetDC’s gross revenue amounts to profit for the Lottery, according to the spokesperson. That means GambetDC has brought in about $890,000 in profit since it launched in late May.
William Hill, on the other hand, has paid $545,018 in taxes.
On the surface, the Lottery’s statement is true. But William Hill also launched July 31, meaning it had two fewer months of operation than GambetDC.
In its five full months of operation between June and October, GambetDC averaged about $180,000 in profit for the lottery per month. That’s lower than the $181,615 in average taxes paid per month over William Hill’s three full months of operation.
William Hill taking more bets
The failure of GambetDC to use its mobile advantage to control the market can be seen in the monthly details.
William Hill again took more bets than GambetDC in October. The retail location handled 144,882 bets while GambetDC took just 113,407 bets on its app.
That amounts to an average of nearly $125 per bet at the William Hill kiosks compared to just $36.83 for GambetDC.
