In just a month and change, D.C. area residents with that gambling jones will no longer have to trek to West Virginia or Pennsylvania or New Jersey to get their blackjack and craps fix.

If you’re an avid online poker player and are just waiting for the District to flip the switch on its planned first-in-the-nation Internet gambling program, you might be waiting for a while.

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.”

Curious about the intranet gaming system that the D.C. Council quietly approved earlier this year? Officials from the D.C. Lottery are now ready to answer your questions.

A disclaimer: I find pretending to know what I’m doing while playing blackjack an incredible thrill. I mean, there’s just something about the game that makes losing money in moderation seem a lot more fun than it really is. Also: free (albeit watered down) booze. So you can imagine my excitement when I read that Prince George’s County and the Maryland legislature was considering a bill that would legalize card gaming within the confines…