D.C. Seeks to Combine Lottery Contracts

The District of Columbia's chief financial officer has proposed combining the city's two long-troubled lottery contracts.

CFO Jeffrey DeWitt said in a letter to the D.C. Council that combining the numbers-game and instant-ticket contracts would save the city money. He also says it would make it easier to comply with a district law that requires 35 percent of the deal to go to local businesses.

The city's $38 million numbers-game contract is held by a joint venture between Greek gaming giant Intralot and a local businessman. A federal grand jury has been investigating the circumstances surrounding that contract since 2012.

Meanwhile, the city's instant-ticket contract has expired and its supply of scratch-off tickets is dwindling. The D.C. Council rejected an instant-ticket proposal last year because it didn't meet the local-participation requirement.