No Misconduct in Washington D.C. Online Poker Vote

The D.C. inspector general has determined that there is insufficient evidence” of any D.C. Council members “acted improperly or violated standards of conduct” as part of their vote to legalize online poker in the district.  The Washington Post revealed these findings. 

Technically, the District of Columbia became the first jurisdiction in the US to legalize the activity though efforts to move forward have been placed on the backburner following initial controversy. 

The report did find that the District’s chief financial officer improperly added the online poker provisions to the lottery contract after bidding had closed.

The 19-page report summarizes procedures in awarding a $120 million lottery contract.

From the Washington Post: 

Much of the report considers whether it was appropriate for the winning bidder, Intralot, to enter into an agreement with the newly formed Veterans Service Corp., owned by Maryland businessman Emmanuel Bailey, after the contract was awarded to Intralot.

The report questions why the city’s Department of Small and Local Business Development awarded VSC preference points as a D.C.-based business when a site visit to its offices suggested that it was not a bona fide local business. The decision took place months before its alliance with Intralot.

In regard to the online poker provision, many experts believe that Washington D.C. has far too small a population base to support a viable Web poker industry.

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher