The Washington State Gambling Commission is aiming to bring sports betting pre-licensing available by spring of 2021.
Regulators made the announcement at the December 17 meeting of the commission. If they make this timeline, it will be one year after the legislature legalized sports betting for Indian casinos.
The commission’s CFO Chris Stanley added that Governor Jay Inslee has given the commission an extension on paying back a loan of $6 million the state had given it as startup funding for clamping down on illegal sports betting in anticipation of it being legalized. Now it will have until 2023 to repay the loan.
Stanley commented, “This is really great news, it gives us a lot of flexibility. I’m grateful to the governor for putting this in the budget.”
Putting the regulations out there by spring with a “pre-licensing” packet, will help potential operators prepare for opening by preparing the documents they need ahead of time. Those rules could be available for the commission to review on January 15.
Tribal casinos will be the only venues where sports betting will be legal and only by retail, not online or mobile. The state has about 29 Indian casinos where sportsbook could be available once they negotiate an amendment to their state tribal gaming compacts. So far four tribes are in negotiation to do so.
In a separate but related development, Incredible Technologies, based in Illinois, has installed its first Class II gaming machines in the state, at the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort. The machines are Class II versions of IT’s most popular Class III games. They include such titles as Infinity Skybox and Infinity V55 products.
IT’s Vice President of Gaming Sales and Market Dan Schrementi commented, “This install marks a new era in IT history,” adding, “Our successful test period in the Midwest has paved the way for Class II expansion across the country and it all starts here. We are truly grateful for the expert guidance and support from the team at Angel of the Winds and we are excited to bring this vision to life in the state of Washington.”
