D.C. Council to Scrutinize Scratch-Off Contract

The D.C. Council is scrutinizing a proposed contract to provide scratch-off lottery tickets in the city.

Scientific Games International is the city's longtime instant-ticket vendor, and the district's Office of the Chief Financial Officer wants to award a new four-year, $9.7 million contract to the New York firm.

But like the previous contract, it does not meet a requirement under city law that at least 35 percent of the contract go to local businesses. Instead, it has just 17 percent local participation.

The contract requires approval by the council because it's worth more than $1 million, and a hearing on the contract is scheduled for Thursday.

The lottery business in the city has long been troubled, and a federal grand jury is investigating the circumstances surrounding the city's numbers-game contract.