Four gaming tribes in Washington have begun renegotiating with the Washington State Gambling Commission to include sports betting, which was legalized by the legislature in March.
The first step is for each tribe that intends to participate to renegotiate the tribal state gaming compact. Once Governor Jay Inslee signs the compact the legislature must approve it before it takes force.
There are 29 eligible tribes, although only 22 of those have casinos. The tribes that have begun this process are the Tulalip, Suquamish, Snoqualmie and Kalispel tribes. They are negotiating details with the Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) that include integrity of betting, licensing, enforcement and funding of problem gambling programs. It is likely that once an acceptable format for a compact amendment is found that it will serve as a model.
At the same time regulators will be developing the framework under which sports betting will happen. They will be researching what sports betting operations do in Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the most successful states that offer sportsbook.
WSGC Executive Director Dave Trujillo told SportsHandle, “There is not one specific state we are looking to model. But we’re not looking to reinvent the wheel. The regulations are going to be relatively similar to other states.”
Tribes will be contracting with sportsbook operators.
All of the steps involved are unlikely to be completed before the end of 2020. Washington is the first state to authorize tribal only sports betting.
Rebecca George, executive director of Washington Indian Gaming Association, told the Northwest News Network: “There’s definitely excitement from the sports bettor to the operator and other companies that are involved.” She added, “This is the first new opportunity for a gaming product in our state for quite a while.”
The current US sports landscape is somewhat in flux, with no real national sports on the immediate horizon, but sports betting is still a hot topic nationally. Most experts expect some sports to begin playing before the end of the year. How much college and how much professional sports that includes is not yet known.
The Washington law allows betting on college and professional sports, overseas leagues and Olympic and World Cup play. It does not allow wagering on college play within the state.
The Washington law gave sports betting exclusively to the tribes and left out the commercial casinos. It will be available only at brick and mortar casinos, not on mobile platforms.
