D.C. Council members grilled the city’s chief financial officer for hours Thursday regarding his role in the controversial legalization of Internet gambling in the city, accusing Natwar Gandhi of sneaking legislation by the council.
The hot questioning came even after a city inspector general’s report this week cleared CFO Gandhi and others of any illegal moves in the creation of a new lottery contract deal that paved the way for online gambling in the District.
Most members of the council’s Committee on Finance and Revenue, which held the hearing on repealing online gambling, emphasized repeatedly that they did not realize the lottery contract they approved in 2009 included an option to expand to online gaming.
At-large Councilman David Catania, a critic of Gandhi, accused the CFO and D.C. Lottery Executive Director Buddy Roogow of “going rogue” and changing the lottery contract to more specifically include Internet gambling only after the city council approved a contract that had a provision for “nontraditional” gaming.
“This is the most extralegal action that I have ever seen,” Catania said, adding he thought Gandhi and should resign or the council should sue him.
But Gandhi said the change to the contract was “material” and agencies and vendors commonly make adjustments without approval from the council.
The hearing was on a proposal to repeal Internet gambling, which was legalized after at-large Councilman Michael Brown tacked on an amendment to the 2011 budget. The amendment made D.C. the first place outside Nevada where it is legal to gamble online, although no games are available yet.
(10/14/11)
