Three more Washington Tribes have had their sports wagering compacts approved by the Department of the Interior, expanding sports betting from nine to 12 Tribes’ casinos.
Starting Wednesday, Sept. 15, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Shoalwater Bay Tribe and Muckleshoot Indian Tribe can begin preparing to take sports bets at their casinos.
The Washington State Gambling Commission has reached a tentative agreement with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe on an amendment to its Class III gaming compact to include new provisions for the Tribe that don’t exist in other tribes’ compacts.
The tentative agreement includes 10 major changes, including allowing for 4,000 player terminals and 125 gaming tables with 25% of the tables allowed to offer up to $1,000 wagers and a limited amount of tables allowed to offer up to $5,000 wagers.
The provisions also allow $30 wagers at the player terminals, extension of credit to qualified customers and additional funding for problem gambling treatment and charitable contributions. It also establishes a moratorium on additional changes until six months after the Problem Gambling Task Force completes a report and adds framework to review, approve and secure the Tribal Lottery System.
“This gaming compact amendment will help keep our casino a competitive gaming and entertainment facility and thereby help ensure resources needed to fund important tribal government programs and services for our community to keep pace with a growing need,” said Muckleshoot Tribal Council Chair Jaison Elkins in a news release. “It also makes possible greater levels of funding for charitable contributions and problem gambling programs.”
The three Tribes join the Cowlitz Tribe, Lummi Nation, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Suquamish Tribe, the Stillaguamish Tribe, the Squaxin Island Tribe, the Spokane Tribe, the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe and the Tulalip Tribes in offering sports wagering at Tribal casinos. Though Tribes are still rolling out announcements and gaining licenses from the Washington State Gambling Commission, the ball is rolling toward taking their first bets.
Seattle SuperSonics legend Shawn Kemp made the first legal sports bet in Washington state Thursday, Sept. 9, at Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie.
“The Snoqualmie Tribe launched their sports betting operation last week, and the other 15 Washington State tribes will begin offering sports betting in upcoming weeks,” said Rebecca George, Executive Director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, in a news release. “The public can rest assured that tribal sports betting will be conducted safely and responsibly, and will be fair for casino patrons. And the revenues sports betting generates will remain in Washington State to boost tribal and non-tribal communities alike.”
Four more Tribes — Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Kalispel Tribe of Indians, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and The Skokomish Indian Tribe — are awaiting approval on their sports betting compacts, but the Washington Indian Gaming Association expects the compacts to be approved in the coming weeks.
For now, sports betting is available only at Tribal casinos, but bipartisan supported legislation may bring sports betting to the private industry statewide in the coming months. Earlier this year Teamsters 117 — representing nearly 2,000 workers employed by Maverick Gaming — submitted a resolution that would challenge the Tribes’ exclusivity.