Photo by Images_of_Money

Yesterday we ran down the sordid history of Internet gambling in the District, and today a D.C. Council committee will hear testimony on whether or not the first-of-its-kind program should be repealed before anyone has even had a chance to gamble online.

According to the agenda, some 117 people have signed up to testify for a hearing that’s set to start at 10 a.m., break at 1 p.m. and resume at 6 p.m. (Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans says he has other commitments during the day he needs to attend to.) That’s a whole lot of witnesses, though fewer than have appeared at hearings for other controversial issues.

In 2004, 250 residents testified in a hearing on public financing for the new baseball stadium. In 2006, 173 people signed up to speak either for or against a proposed smoking ban in bars and restaurants. The next year, close to 300 people spoke at four hearings that were called to solicit public input on a proposed mayoral takeover of D.C. schools. In 2009, 269 people were scheduled to speak on same-sex marriage in a hearing that spanned two days. On the lower end, only 72 people testified at a hearing on the five-cent plastic bag fee.

Still, given the way today hearing is structured, it certainly has the potential to run into the wee hours. At the 2004 baseball stadium hearing, after eight hours had elapsed, only 30 residents and non-government witnesses had had the chance to testify, according to a Post article on the day’s event. It’s easy to see the public witnesses today only really starting after the hearing resumes at 6 p.m. Even if every witness sticks to three-minute-long statements and no questions are asked, we’re looking at over five hours of testimony.