Photo by dcJohn.

D.C. residents angry about the lack of public input involved in the legalization of online gaming will have to wait longer to publicly vent such frustrations — the D.C. Lottery and city officials will postpone a slate of ward-by-ward meetings in an effort to “reach the largest number of D.C. residents.”

Previously, the meetings were scheduled to take place between August 17 and September 8. Ward Councilmembers were scheduled to attend each meeting, while Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners would have a meeting with Lottery officials on August 16. The series was slated to commence in a hearing in front of the full Council on September 14.

“We have heard concerns raised by some community residents about holding the meetings during the summer months; therefore, we intend to reschedule the community meetings,” stated D.C. Lottery executive director Buddy Roogow.

Of course, the public’s unhappiness with the legislation’s passage might not be the only thing the Lottery has to worry about — after all, as the New York Times points out, the District is taking a chance with being the first American jurisdiction to challenge the federal law against online gaming.