Relationship with Subcontractor at Center of Lawsuit
Veteran Services Corporation (VSC) is the contractor at the center of this lawsuit. According to Intralot, VSC was supposed to handle over half of the work in operating GameBetDC and split the profits with other local businesses.
Once the online sportsbook failed, the DC Council asked for documentation from VSC to show the work done. They found that Intralot instead had one of its subsidiaries handle most of that work, with VSC paying them using the funds awarded to them by the DC Council.
DC Looks to Send Message
The District has seen its sports betting market saved since the failure of GameBetDC, but that doesn’t mean they’re willing to look past this failure.
“This is a warning to any company that tries to manipulate and exploit District contracting laws, especially laws intended to build the capacity of the local businesses vital to our economy,” said DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb. “Intralot and VSC’s sports betting deal was a sham from the start—an elaborate scheme to secure a lucrative, high-profile opportunity on a sole-source basis while circumventing the District’s small business contracting laws.”
Lawsuit Could Be the Beginning of a Larger Fight
The District’s accusation against Intralot is serious, but it may be only the start of a larger fight.
The operator’s failure caused a lot of financial damage to the District. Their illegal deal with VSC cost local businesses a lot of money as they were suddenly cut out of the agreement. That hurts those businesses and means less tax revenue for the District.
In addition to the losses to local businesses, Intralot built the country’s first failing sports betting market. The numbers consistently fell well below projections as users blasted the GameBetDC platform for its many bugs and few promotions. That led many bettors to place wagers in neighboring states or give up the hobby altogether.
GameBetDC’s failure cost the District the tax revenue it had hoped for while increasing problem gambling. That will put the DC Council on a path of war that could include widespread and aggressive legal action.