Try Your Hand: It’s official: The D.C. Lottery is now legally able to administer “games of skill and games of chance.” Conceivably, this will generate some revenue for the city, and it’s pretty cool that the District is the first American jurisdiction where Internet gambling is kosher. But it doesn’t seem like anyone has a clear concept of what, exactly, kosher Internet gaming looks like. Online poker? Gaming machines? If only there were somewhere we could place bets on the eventual outcome. +2

Peaked: Increased fees for riding Metrorail have done very, very little to alter commuting patterns. Though riders are apparently unhappy with the extra 20 cent charge during “peak of the peak” times, they aren’t changing their schedules to avoid it. So, the system is just as congested during rush hour as ever—you’re just paying more to ride it. -2

This Suburban Life:The very rich are different from you and me; for one, they seem to live in Virginia. Or so found Forbes, which listed Falls Church as the richest county in America (technically, it’s a city, but we won’t quibble), followed by Loudon and Fairfax. Howard County, Md., also made the list of “America’s 10 Richest Counties.” Maybe one of them will drop some bags of money accidentally next time they come into the District! +1

Hockey Town, U.S.A.: For the last few years, as the Capitals have won more and more games, longtime fans have taken to bashing new arrivals on the bandwagon; people who don’t usually follow hockey at all suddenly tune in for the playoffs, and it’s hard to tell the people who “rock the red” because it’s cool from the people who remember when Bobby Carpenter was traded away for Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley. That annual time to tune in arrives tonight, as the Caps play the Rangers in game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Which means we should all put aside any question of old loyalties vs. glory hunters and focus on what matters: Showing New York up. +2

Yesterday’s Needle rating: 60 Today’s score: +3 Today’s Needle rating: 63