Ever since Washington, D.C. decided to legalize sports gambling and hand over the keys to Greek gaming operator Intralot, there have been doubts about the legitimacy of the deal. The DC Council argued that it needed to forego the standard bidding wars in order to launch its industry as soon as possible. Almost a year later, no more progress has been made. As concern over the sketchy deal continued to percolate, one name was consistently highlighted as being at the center of the activity – Councilman Jack Evans. It now looks as though Evans could be forced out of office and a renewed push to have the entire sports gambling process start over from scratch could emerge. If only everyone had played by the book to begin with.
Of the 13 members on the D.C. Council, 12 voted yesterday (Evans was the 13th) to give the councilman the boot. He has been on the council for the past 28 years, but has repeatedly come under fire for questionable negotiations and possible ethics violations, and it appears the council has had enough.
It was the first step toward removing the politician and possible master manipulator, but the removal still has to be put to a formal vote involving the entire council, including Evans. 11 of the 13 members of the council will have to approve the measure for it to be accepted.
The general consensus around DC is that the Council cannot be trusted, thanks, in large part, to Evans’ shenanigans and alleged underhanded dealings. Elissa Silverman, a councilwoman who has been vocal about the possible ethics violations, states, “This is about all of us. This is about that our residents feel confident about the decisions we make are because we think it’s the right decision, not because there’s money behind that decision.”
Evans could have participated in the ad hoc vote – not as a voter, but as the respondent, given an opportunity to state his case. He chose not to join his fellow councilmembers, a decision that the group took as a slap in the face. Council member Robert C. White, Jr. asserted, “Councilmember Evans’ decision not to appear reinforces that he fails to understand the severity of his actions and how they affect the residents of the District of Columbia and this council. It also illustrates a lack of respect for his colleagues.”
Evans was instrumental in securing the Council’s decision to give Intralot the $215-million sports gambling contract. He had already been forced to step down, even before the deal was consummated, from his position of chair of the DC Council Committee on Finance & Revenue over ethics concerns and has a long history of business dealings that seem to have a conflict of interest with his political position and had been investigated by the FBI for his activities. However, he always managed to dance around any legal backlash.
Now that Evans is going to be ousted, with the formal vote expected to take place on December 17, there is a renewed push to have DC start the sports gambling legislative process again, but to do it right. That would include allowing companies to bid for licenses and to receive a fair chance at getting in on the action. Given the fact that Intralot has been found to have violated local laws in how it planned on running the show, the contract should be null and void.
