{"id":123802,"date":"2020-01-07T15:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T23:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=123802"},"modified":"2020-01-07T15:28:51","modified_gmt":"2020-01-07T23:28:51","slug":"dc-councilman-jack-evans-district-sports-betting-advocate-steps-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/dc-councilman-jack-evans-district-sports-betting-advocate-steps-down\/","title":{"rendered":"DC Councilman Jack Evans, Who Shepherded Sports Betting Legislation, Steps Down Before Expulsion Hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Embattled District of Columbia Councilman Jack Evans announced his sudden resignation on Tuesday. The longest-serving member of Washington\u2019s local governing body did so before his fellow Councilmembers could continue proceedings to expel him in the wake of a scathing report that cited numerous ethics and conflict of interest violations.<\/p>\n

\"\"
DC Councilman Jack Evans (center) announced his resignation moments prior to a DC Council hearing to consider removing him from office after an investigation uncovered ethics and conflict of interest issues. (Image: JackEvansWard2\/Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DC Council President Phil Mendelson opened the Committee of the Whole\u2019s public hearing on expulsion Tuesday by announcing Evans\u2019s resignation and reading the councilman\u2019s letter to him, which Mendelson said he received just minutes before the hearing began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe Washington, DC to be the pride of the nation and I am proud of the contributions I have made in helping to create a vibrant city,\u201d Evans wrote.<\/p>\n

Evans\u2019s resignation takes effect on Jan. 17.<\/p>\n

Because of Evans\u2019s letter, Mendelson decided to recess the hearing for two weeks.<\/p>\n

\n

Evans was the primary sponsor of the legislation that legalized sports betting in the District more than a year ago. He also helped push through the sole-source contract for Intralot<\/a> to manage the DC Lottery\u2019s sports betting operations in July. That contract has since received significant scrutiny, as questions have arisen about Intralot\u2019s sports betting subcontractors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The contract also faces a court challenge.<\/p>\n

Resignation ‘Only Acceptable Outcome’<\/h2>\n

On the same day the Intralot contract was approved, by a 7-5 vote, the DC Council also voted to have a third-party conduct an investigation to Evans\u2019s ethics issues.<\/p>\n

Last month, an ad-hoc committee of Evans\u2019s 12 DC Council colleagues voted unanimously<\/a> to recommend removing him after that report indicated that numerous votes by Evans as a councilman benefitted his clients.<\/p>\n

Only 11 of the 13 members would have needed to vote yes in a DC Council meeting \u2013 had the proceedings gone that far \u2013 to remove Evans, who has served on the Council since 1991.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said in a statement Evans\u2019s stepping down was necessary to bring the matter to an end, at least from a Council perspective. Federal authorities have also been looking into Evans\u2019s Council and business dealings.<\/p>\n

This process has reached what has become the only acceptable outcome and Councilmember Evans will no longer serve on the District of Columbia Council,\u201d McDuffie said. \u201cWith this now behind us, the Council can begin to rebuild the public\u2019s trust.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In addition, Evans had also been the target of a recall effort by voters in his district. However, DC officials ruled last month that petitioners did not submit enough valid signatures for the effort to continue.<\/p>\n

DC Sports Betting Update<\/h2>\n

While the DC Lottery will oversee sports betting, the law also allows for other operators to participate.<\/p>\n

The District\u2019s four major arenas and stadiums, including Capital One Area, Nationals Park, and Audi Field, will be allowed to host a sportsbook on their premises. Restaurants, bars, and other public places outside of a two-block radius from the stadiums will also be allowed to pursue sports betting licenses.<\/p>\n

Monumental Sports and Entertainment, owners of the NBA\u2019s Washington Wizards, the NHL\u2019s Washington Capitals, and the WNBA\u2019s Washington Mystics, have announced a partnership with William Hill at Capital One Arena. The DC United of MLS reportedly have been in talks with Caesars Entertainment.<\/p>\n

The DC Lottery has not yet approved any licenses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Embattled District of Columbia Councilman Jack Evans announced his sudden resignation on Tuesday. The longest-serving member of Washington\u2019s local governing body did so before his fellow Councilmembers could continue proceedings to expel him in the wake of a scathing report that cited numerous ethics and conflict of interest violations. DC Council President Phil Mendelson opened […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":123804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDC Councilman Jack Evans, District Sports Betting Advocate, Steps Down<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last month, an ad-hoc committee of 12 DC Council colleagues voted to recommend removing Jack Evans after a report detailed several ethics issues.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DC Councilman Jack Evans, District Sports Betting Advocate, Steps Down\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last month, an ad-hoc committee of 12 DC Council colleagues voted to recommend removing Jack Evans 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