Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans says plans for implementing Internet gambling hot spots in bars, restaurants and hotels across the District have been postponed.
“I have met with representatives of the Chief Financial Officer and D.C. Lottery in light of yesterday’s hearing and am pleased that they are taking immediate action in response to concerns raised before the Committee,” Evans said in a statement Thursday evening. “We have agreed to postpone implementation of any ‘hot spots’ until clear rules are in place that guarantee prior community input.”
At a council hearing on Wednesday, the lottery board said it planned to launch the Internet hot spots on Sept. 8, but Evans, and witnesses’ who testified, raised concerns that communities would not have time to provide input on where the hot spots would be.
The hot spots are technically nothing more than a verified Internet connection provided by D.C. Lotto. Once the lottery’s Internet gambling system is running, gamblers will be able to play poker, black jack, or a slots -like games at any D.C. location with Internet access and an Internet Protocol address verified by D.C. Lotto, unless the proprietor blocks the lottery’s gambling website.
In other words, delaying the hot spots might not delay the implementation of the program. Lottery officials also said they plan to allow for Internet gambling is residences.
But as Evans pointed out on Wednesday, the public will perceive the hot spots as casinos being opened down the street. That’s why he said it’s key for the lottery board to explain their plans to neighborhood commissioners and other community groups.
Even then, though, it might not go over well. The Internet gambling program was part of a supplemental budget passed by the council in December, dodging the open hearings process the typically accompanies a major policy shift. Foregoing that process may blow up in the faces of the program’s backers, namely at-large Councilman Michael Brown and Mayor Vince Gray, who as council chairman allowed the measure into the budget proposal without discussion.
