DC Mayor Pushes to Legalize Poker, Blackjack for Cash Boost

A Plan to Play the Field

Mayor Muriel Bowser is betting on table games like poker and blackjack, plus commercial bingo, to give Washington, DC’s economy a shot in the arm.

With a looming billion-dollar budget shortfall over the next three years, her proposal aims to rake in new tax revenue for the 2026 fiscal year.

The plan would let licensed venues deal cards and run bingo nights, tapping into a fresh income stream for a city hungry for funds.

The Office of Lottery and Gaming would take the lead, handing out licenses to operators ready to play by the rules. Poker and blackjack tables would face a 25% tax on gross gaming revenue, while commercial bingo would be hit with a 7.5% tax on sales or fees.

The city’s Chief Financial Officer would set the playbook, laying out how card games can operate, with audits, investigations, and even property seizures on the table to keep things legit.

Card games won’t be allowed in public or private outdoor spaces unless the Office gives a rare nod. Bingo, meanwhile, is limited to venues with on-site alcohol licenses, which need a $300 annual permit from the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board.

Economic Hopes, Uncertain Gains

Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert sees the move as a way to keep DC’s growth rolling. “The District has enjoyed healthy revenues over the last 20 years and has been growing over the last 20 years,” she said, emphasizing the city’s expanding population and business base.

But the plan’s revenue potential is murky. No estimates exist for how much cash poker, blackjack, or bingo might bring in, since it’s unclear how many operators will jump in or if gaming will just shift spending from other taxable businesses.

Not everyone’s all-in on the idea. Legalizing gambling can be a double-edged sword, especially for lower-income players. Marketing professor Kenneth C. Wilbur, who studied online gambling’s impacts, warned, “Our analysis shows that online gambling legalization leads to far more problematic gambling among lower-income gamblers than among higher-income gamblers.”

He added, “If you look more closely, the people experiencing the most gambling problems are likely to be the smaller-scale, lower-income gamblers,” suggesting DC might need to beef up support for problem gamblers if the plan moves forward.

The proposal, dubbed “AN ACT,” needs the DC Council’s approval before heading to Congress for a 30-day review, or 60 days for certain criminal provisions. If it clears those hurdles, poker and blackjack could hit DC’s licensed venues, with commercial bingo starting no earlier than October 1, 2025. Until then, card games and bingo remain off the table for commercial operators.