US First Legal Online Poker Jurisdiction Under Scrutiny by Council Members

Three Washington, D.C. Council members intend to re-examine the $38 million D.C. Lottery contract that helped make the District the United State’s first legalized online poker hub.

Council member Michael Brown slipped the online poker provision into the budget bill while failing to disclose earnings from a firm with an interest in online gambling.

From the Washington Times:

“The inspector general should be doing an investigation,” council member Jack Evans, Ward 2 Democrat, said of the request by former Chief Procurement Officer David P. Gragan and former Attorney General Peter J. Nickles, who raised concerns in July 2010 of an irregular contract approval and vetting process that handed a 51 percent stake in the lottery to a local businessman who never participated in the competitive bidding process.

“If the inspector general didn’t do his job, then it’s a problem,” said Mr. Evans, chairman of the Committee on Finance and Revenue, which has oversight of the lottery and the CFO’s office. Mr. Evans said he will hold another hearing on online poker when the council reconvenes this month.

“People are concerned about the lottery procurement, period,” Council member Muriel Bower said.  “I’ve always been uncomfortable with the contract.”

Council member Tommy Wells has vowed to appeal the online poker measure.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com