The Washington state legislature is holding hearings this week on a bill that would allow sports betting, including online betting, at tribal casinos.
Majority Caucus Chairman Eric Pettigrew sponsored House Bill 1975, which would allow professional and college sports betting on the reservation. It would allow online sports gaming based on those tribal casinos.
Currently online gaming is a felony in the state. The camel could stick its nose so far into the tent with this bill that Washington could stop being one of the strictest gaming states in the U.S.
State Gambling Commissioner Chris Stearns told the Seattle Times, “The limits are actually not very big.” He added “The bill doesn’t say very much, but the way federal Indian gaming law works is, just as long as the state permits something it opens the door for the tribes to operate based on what they negotiate.” It could open the way to whatever games the tribes want to negotiate with the governor, he said.
Although mobile betting is controversial, it is also the fastest-growing form of sports book because of its convenience.
