District of Columbia sports wagering operator bonds.
From $100.
The District conditions a sports wagering Operator License on a bond under D.C. Code § 36-621.06(d). The Office of Lottery and Gaming opens it at 50% of the estimated tax revenue disclosed for the proposed facility, adjusted semi-annually against actual revenue. The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does a District of Columbia sports wagering operator bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
The bond is one attachment in a heavy licensure file — it should not be the thing that holds it up. Here is the whole process:
Apply online
Your company details, the bond amount the Office has set for the facility, and an effective date. That is the application.
Issued
No credit check up to $10,000, and most applications approve instantly. Because operator bonds run large, a seven-figure amount may draw a brief underwriter review and a request for company financials; above $10,000, any check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
File with the Office
Submit the executed bond with your Operator License application, renewal, or semi-annual adjustment. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the operator bond actually guarantees
Sports wagering in the District runs under the Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG), with privately-operated wagering governed by chapter 21 of Title 30 DCMR. The rules split operators in two: a Class A Operator runs a sportsbook at one of four named venues — Capital One Arena, Audi Field, Nationals Park, or the St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena — while a Class B Operator is licensed elsewhere in the District and is barred from operating within two blocks of those same four venues.
Both classes carry the same bonding condition, at § 2101.6 for Class A and § 2102.5 for Class B: as a condition of licensure the operator shall be bonded in such amounts and manner as the Office determines, and agree in writing to indemnify and save harmless the District against any actions, claims, and demands the District may incur by reason of issuing the license. The initial bond amount is 50% of the amount the applicant must disclose under D.C. Code § 36-621.06(a)(1)(F) — the estimated tax revenue the proposed facility will generate — and the Executive Director may adjust the required amount semi-annually, based on actual tax revenue.
So the number tracks the District’s tax exposure, not your handle. A license runs five years and is renewable for successive five-year periods, which means the bond is a long-lived obligation you will re-paper more than once as the Office re-sets it. Keep it distinct from the separate reserve requirement in § 2117, which makes an operator hold not less than the greater of $25,000 or the sum of player account balances, unsettled wagers, and unpaid winnings — a bond used for that reserve must be written by a bona fide insurance carrier. Neither is insurance for the operator: if the surety pays, the operator repays the surety.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Office. Submit the executed bond with your Operator License application, renewal, or semi-annual adjustment. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $10,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, no credit check up to $10,000.
These are the actual issuing fields — company details, the bond amount the Office set, and an effective date. There is no credit check up to $10,000; because operator bonds run large, a seven-figure amount may draw a brief underwriter review first.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Do not let the bond hold up the license file.
From $100, no credit check up to $10,000, and most operator bonds issue as soon as you pay. Enter the amount the Office set and file it with your application. Free until issued.