After a year of negotiations between the state of Washington and the Tulalip tribe, the first agreement has been reached for a tribe to offer sports betting since the legislature legalized it.
The agreement was announced by the Washington State Gambling Commission and the tribe April 16. The law guarantees a monopoly on sports betting to the state’s gaming tribes.
Gambling Commission Chairman Bud Sizemore stated: “There is still a lot of work before the first regulated sportsbook opens in our state.” He added, “I’m hopeful sports wagering can launch before the NFL regular season begins.”
The sportsbook will be operated in one of the two casinos that the tribe has along Interstate 5 near Everett.
Washington residents will be able to wager on professional sports leagues, the upcoming Olympic Games, college sports—except for Washington college teams—eSports, but no online or mobile gaming outside of the brick and mortar tribal casinos.
The agreement produced 35 pages of regulations and integrity controls that must be approved by the legislature and the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Reportedly four other tribes are near to agreements with the commission: the Kalispel, Suquamish, Snoqualmie and Muckleshoot tribes. Others are also nearing agreements.
Sports betting operators such as FanDuel, William Hill and DraftKings are looking over the shoulders of the negotiations, hoping to craft agreements with the tribes.
