The city council in the capital of the United States, Washington DC, voted with a 11 against 2 vote for a budget amendment, which calls for legalization of online poker and fantasy sports betting. The bill would allow new forms of gambling to run through the existing DC Lottery in the hope to tighten the budget deficit of the city.

There are members of Congress who are not sure that the online gambling bill will make it into law, the Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz said he is completely against the idea that the city offers online casino gambling. Because Washington DC is a federal enclave, Congress has ultimate control over all the laws of the city. Given the chilly climate in Congress against online gambling, there may be a strong opposition to such a law in the cabinet, especially after the Republicans get a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in January. He was also disappointed in how the budget amendment was adopted because it received very little attention in the weeks before the vote.

Chaffetz said: “here is no foundation that has been laid to gain any broad support. It was slipped into a budget discussion in the middle of the night. That doesn’t strike me as a good way to do business.” Others are against the proposal. DC Attorney General Peter Nickles has said he is not certain that a mix of skill and luck casino games under the control of the lottery would remain intact in the federal legislation. The U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, has previously made statements against the expansion and legalization of online gambling. According to a statement, the addition of online poker in Washington DC will earn 13 million dollar in income over the next three years. That is not enough to to close the income deficit of 200 million dollars.