D.C. Council Committee OKs Online Gambling Repeal

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The D.C. Council has taken the first step toward repealing online gambling.

The Finance and Revenue Committee voted Wednesday to send the repeal bill to the full Council, which will consider it Tuesday. A majority of councilmembers have said they support repealing the nation's first government-sponsored online gambling program. The law is on the books but has not been implemented.

Councilmember Jack Evans says the council didn't realize it was putting the district on a path toward online gambling when it approved the district's lottery contract in 2009. Language about online games was added to the contract later.

Councilmember Michael Brown, who pushed for online gambling, says he will introduce a new, standalone bill if the repeal is successful. But Evans says he doesn't expect such a bill to pass.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)