Best Washington D.C. sports betting sites

Washington D.C. only has two sports betting sites to choose from currently- but they are both excellent options, BetMGM and Caesars.

Sports betting is legal in D.C., but it has a unique setup not found anywhere else in the United States. In D.C. you can bet on sports at the age of 18, and you do not need to be a citizen of the District, but you can only wager online via mobile apps while near approved locations. That means you must be within two blocks (roughly) of a location that has a sports betting license with the Office of Lottery and Gaming.

Only two commercial sports betting apps are operating in D.C. currently: Caesars and BetMGM. While you can download and register with those sportsbooks from anywhere in D.C., regulations in the District require users to be within a two-block radius of partner sites to place bets.

Importantly, you need to be near Capital One Arena, home to both the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, if you wish to use Caesars D.C.. Whereas, you need to be nearby Nationals Park, the home field of the Nationals, to use BetMGM D.C.

In most cases, these pair of sportsbook apps will not work unless you are within that two-block radius of the sporting venues. Furthermore, both of those sports betting operators have retail sportsbooks at those venues also.

Therefore, in D.C. mobile sports betting is like real estate: It is all about location, location, location. Once you download an app, begin by registering and funding your account. Notably, you need to travel to an authorized zone near the sporting venues to place a wager.

Fortunately, in spite of the limitations to sports betting in D.C. via mobile app, Caesars offers the same features and experience here that you’ll find elsewhere. Caesars D.C. offers welcome bonuses, promos with associated bonus bets and great odds on dozens of sports. Using Caesars mobile sportsbook in D.C., it’s easy to see why the brand is so trusted and popular.

A wonderful aspect of the Caesars mobile app is the attractive design of its interface. Caesars uses intuitive icons to offer quick access to your favorite features, directly from the top of the sportsbook app. You’ll find NFL, MLB, MLS and other top professional leagues quickly and easily. Use the “Favorites” option on the left navigation menu to place your most frequently used teams or sports in a handy spot.

Among the commercial operators in D.C., Caesars has the best odds boosts. Almost every day, you’ll find odds boosts on several games. An example of an odds boost (which is available to all customers, new or existing), is a +250 odds boost for a bet of at least $100 on an NHL game. While you may not be ready to wager $100, the tempting odds may make it a wise move.

If that weren’t enough to convince you of the merits of Caesars mobile sportsbook, there’s also the loyalty program, Caesars Rewards. Dubbed the “best loyalty program in the industry” by the American Gaming Association, Caesars Rewards offers earnings options from sportsbook play, visits to Caesars properties and more. Accumulate reward points and cash them in for prizes, or upgrade visits to casinos and resorts.

Use BetMGM D.C. sports betting app when you are at Nationals Park cheering on the D.C. baseball team. You’ll find a retail sportsbook on-site, but won’t need to use it as long as you have BetMGM on your mobile device. The app grants you access to great odds on many sporting events, as well as promotional offers.

The BetMGM gains high marks for its user interface. It may sound simple, but BetMGM’s event calendar is an excellent feature you won’t find in any other mobile sports betting app. Click on “Calendar” from the top menu and find a list of the next 5-7 days of events. That’s very handy, as opposed to scrolling through several pages of events as you must do in other apps.

The BetMGM app is one of the best Washington DC betting sites because it has so many sporting events available to wager. The “A to Z” sports category menu has more than 100 sporting events and activities to find wagering opportunities for. Want to bet on professional volleyball? Do it with BetMGM. Interested in motocross or even pickleball? Yep, it’s available. 

We have become very fond of the BetMGM “cross-sport parlay” feature. In this section, select a pre-wrapped parlay that has legs from multiple sports. For example, +5000 odds on the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers to win the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals by a 4-2 count. Every day you’ll find multi-sport parlays at BetMGM. 

The best promo available from D.C. sportsbooks is from Caesars.

BetMGM D.C. sports betting app gives new users a great welcome offer as well.

With a limited sports betting market, the two commercial operators have not been as aggressive with promos and bonuses as we’ve seen in other jurisdictions. 

These are the types of sportsbook promos you can see:

May also be called a sign-up bonus or a new customer bonus. This type of bonus is offered to new players when they create an account and make their first deposit. You get a percentage match on the initial deposit, for example, “100% up to $200.” That means, if you deposit $100, the sportsbook will add an additional $100 to your account. Other welcome bonuses can be bets, which we outline below.

This type of bonus is given to new players without requiring them to make a deposit. It’s usually a small amount of free bets or bonus funds that can be used to place bets on the sportsbook. The “no deposit” bonuses usually come with stricter wagering requirements.

Bonus bets are a popular type of bonus where the sportsbook gives you a certain amount of money to place bets without risking your own funds. If you win the bet, you’ll receive the winnings minus the stake, but if you lose, you won’t lose any of your actual money. Bonus bets may be offered as part of a welcome bonus or as ongoing promotions. Be advised that in many states, the use of the term “free bet” is discouraged or banned, so as not to confuse or mislead consumers.

A reload bonus is similar to a deposit bonus but is available to existing customers when they make subsequent deposits. It encourages customers to continue depositing and betting in the D.C. betting app. Reload bonuses can be structured as a percentage match or a fixed amount and may require a bonus code.

With a cashback bonus, the sportsbook offers a refund or a percentage of your net losses over a specific period. For example, if the cashback bonus is 10% and you lose $100, you’ll receive $10 back as a bonus. It helps soften the blow of losses and encourages players to keep betting.

Enhanced odds, also known as price boosts, odds boosts, or enhanced bets, are special promotions where the D.C. sportsbook increases the odds for specific events or outcomes. This gives you a chance to get better returns on your winning bets if they come through.

Many sportsbooks have loyalty programs to reward their regular customers. These programs often have multiple tiers based on the frequency and amount of betting. Rewards can include exclusive bonuses, personalized offers, faster withdrawals, dedicated customer support and invitations to special events.

Only two commercial sports betting apps are available in D.C.: BetMGM and Caesars. Because Caesars has a slightly better user interface, we recommend them if you are only going to download one app.

Please note that you cannot register and use a sports betting “site” in D.C., since you need to be physically within a two-block radius of either Capitol One Arena or Nationals Park. As a result, you will need to use a mobile app on your Android or iPhone.

D.C. is atypical in that you can be 18 and register with a sports betting app. You can also be a visitor to the District and register there. But, you will need to be near a physical retail sportsbook to place bets.

Both Caesars and BetMGM use geolocation to verify that you are within the approved areas to place bets via their mobile app.

Our betting experts used these criteria to evaluate the best D.C. sports betting apps:

The following teams represent the Washington D.C. region:

The Commanders, arguably the most popular pro team in D.C., actually play their home games in Landover, Maryland. Many sports fans in D.C. also hold allegiance to Baltimore professional teams, such as the Orioles (MLB) and Ravens (NFL).

The last Washington D.C. team to win a title was the Nationals, who were World Series champions in 2019. That same year, the Mystics won the WNBA title.

The District is also home to the Georgetown Hoyas and George Washington Colonials, each of which competes as Division-1 schools in the NCAA. The Hoyas men’s team has made six appearances in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2010.

With D.C. one of the few jurisdictions that allow sports wagering for people under the age of 21, the District has worked hard to develop a system to support consumers and protect them from gambling addiction. This is especially important for sports bettors between the age of 18 and 21, who have been identified by some research as being susceptible to gambling addiction at higher levels than other demographics. In D.C., consumers who have accounts with sportsbooks can self-exclude, or place time limits on how often they can place bets. In D.C., consumers may access screening tools that can help them determine if they have a gambling problem. The hotline is 1-800-GAMBLER.