Arizona state Senators Sonny Borrelli and Steve Pierce have revived a bill they introduced last year that would give tribes the right to offer sports betting off their reservations.
The bill, SB 1525, would, once passed by the legislature, also require a vote of the people. It would authorize the state’s 16 gaming tribes, who operate 24 casinos, to offer sports wagering through retail operations and kiosks within the casinos. It doesn’t permit online sportsbooks. The bill would tax sportsbooks at 6.75 percent.
Some question the legality of the provision. According to LegalSportsReport.com, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) limits Indian gaming to lands that are part of a reservation or have been put into trust.
When the bill was first introduced last summer, most of the state’s 16 gaming tribes saw it as potentially damaging, though the Navajo Nation was supportive. Others feared the law would also allow other businesses to cash in, thus hurting the tribal enterprises. Larry Jackson, vice chairman of the Yavapai Apache Nation, said, “We are opposed to the expansion of gaming in bars and restaurants. Such a result would not only hurt the nation’s on-reservation…casinos, but is a drastic change in Arizona gaming policy which Arizonans do not support.”
A bill has been filed in Congress that would allow online wagers that originate from the reservation but are offered through kiosks at retail operations such as bars and liquor stores. As many as 3,900 kiosks would be allowed.
The authors of the bill have asked the National Indian Gaming Commission for clarification as to whether IGRA would apply in this instance.
