The DC Lottery Has a New Executive, Hints at GambetDC Improvements

Frank Suarez has a monumental task ahead, and it’s likely he doesn’t yet completely grasp how big. According to the Washington Business Journal, Suarez is the new Executive Director of the DC Office of Lottery and Gaming (OLG). In this role, among other things, he will be charged with putting the district’s sports betting app, GambetDC, on track. That is going to prove to be difficult; however, Suarez is reportedly up for the challenge.

DC Lottery Gets Some Outside Help

Suarez comes in as the permanent replacement for Beth Bresnahan, the former executive director who stepped away last February for “personal reasons.” After her departure, OLG chief counsel Ridgely Bennett stepped in temporarily to fill the void. Neither the DC Council nor the DC Lottery has made an official announcement about the arrival of Suarez, even though he indicates on his LinkedIn page that he’s been in the new role since August.

The newly-appointed boss comes equipped with a lot of experience that should help the DC Lottery get its act together and start earning money through GambetDC. He was the deputy executive director for brand management and communications for North Carolina’s Education Lottery for seven years, according to his LinkedIn profile, and, before that, had a number of marketing positions for companies such as Yum! Brands Inc., Del Monte Foods, Inc. and others. If there were ever a product that needed a branding lift, it would be GambetDC.

GambetDC Could Get Better Under Suarez

Provided Suarez is able to do his job and not be forced to bend to the whims of DC politics, GambetDC might finally become a viable sports betting product. Since the district legalized sports betting, its own sportsbook solution has been performing horribly. Despite having blanket coverage of DC, it is only earning a small fraction of what William Hill has been able to take in from its limited footprint. William Hill only has geofenced access to a two-block radius around Capital One Arena, but sees three times the amount of action of GambetDC. BetMGM, which just launched in the district last month, is also starting to peel away some of GambetDC’s portion.

Nicole Jordan, the spokesperson for the DC Lottery, says that a formal announcement of Suarez’s arrival is coming soon. Perhaps the district wanted to give him time to get his head around his new challenges and decide if he wanted to stay before making his arrival public. The incoming boss is seemingly ready for the job and is aware of the results of the recently completed audit, but isn’t running away. That could be because he sees a great deal of opportunity to shine. GambetDC is fledgling, at best, and needs a serious overhaul. Suarez apparently knows this and has indicated that upgrades could be forthcoming. Among these is an improvement to the odds provided, the main reason William Hill and BetMGM are performing better – and also why the DC Lottery is taking so long to approve new registrations.