Bet365 launched its online sportsbook in Washington, D.C. on September 8, one day before the NFL season opened. The British operator is now live in 18 US states plus the capital, and it arrived with a multi-year partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the group behind the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics.

That makes D.C. the latest stop in a busy run for the brand. It entered Michigan in April and West Virginia a month before the capital, and it already runs a regulated product north of the border through bet365 Alberta.

Three Teams, One Sponsor

The Monumental deal is the part that sets this launch apart. Bet365 gets virtual signage during Capitals games and pre-game and in-game commercials across Capitals, Wizards and Mystics broadcasts on Monumental Sports Network.

It will also be the presenting sponsor of Monumental Game Center, a feature that lays real-time betting odds and gamification options over live streams of all three teams. For a sportsbook, that’s about as close to the fan’s screen as a sponsor can get.

Trip Stoddard, head of development at bet365, pitched it straight at the fans. “Our partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment gives us an exciting opportunity to introduce bet365 to Capitals, Wizards and Mystics fans and build lasting connections across Washington, D.C.,” he said.

What D.C. Bettors Actually Get

The sportsbook covers more than 100 sports, with live and in-game betting. New customers get a Bet $10, Get $50 in bonus bets offer. Bet365’s Early Payout Offer comes with it, settling qualifying NBA bets as winners once a team goes 20 points up, WNBA bets at an 18-point lead and NHL bets when a team leads by three goals. There’s also an Early Bird Special that boosts profits on Sunday NFL games for the hour before the first kickoff.

A Market That Started as a Flop

D.C. didn’t always look worth the trouble. Its online betting began as GambetDC, a lottery-run app supplied by Intralot, and it drew criticism from bettors along with disappointing revenue. In March 2024 the District’s Office of Lottery and Gaming named FanDuel as Intralot’s sports wagering subcontractor, and FanDuel replaced GambetDC on April 15, 2024.

The switch worked fast. Within its first 30 days of operation, FanDuel generated $30 million in handle and $5 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR), representing a 673% handle increase compared to the prior fiscal year.

The 2024 Rewrite Opened the Door

The bigger change came that summer. The Sports Wagering Amendment Act of 2024, effective July 15, 2024, let Class A stadium licensees run mobile betting and created a new Class C license so eligible sports team applicants could offer mobile and online wagering too.

It came with a higher tax bill. From August 1, 2024, D.C. taxes gross sports wagering revenue at 20% for Class A, 10% for Class B and 30% for Class C. A Class C operator license costs $2,000,000 for five years.

Why a Team Deal Matters Here

Which license a sportsbook runs under decides which of those rates it pays, but a team partner brings more than a tax bracket. A partnership with three local franchises gives a sportsbook reach it can put straight on the fan’s screen. It’s a crowded field of licensed sportsbooks, and local teams are how bet365 has tried to stand out elsewhere too, with deals already in place with the Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Sky.

D.C. is also one of the few US markets where bettors only need to be 18, which brings college-age sports fans into play.

Growth Abroad, Cuts at Home

Not everything is heading the same way for the company. Bet365 has announced about 340 job cuts across offices including Stoke-on-Trent, Malta and Gibraltar, around 3% of its workforce, blaming economic conditions, regulatory scrutiny and heavier taxes. It is still opening new US markets while it trims.

GambetDC’s replacement took about $30m in handle in its first 30 days. Bet365 now takes on that market with three local teams and more than 100 sports.