Washington State governor passes tribal betting bill into law
Local tribes will be allowed to offer betting both on-site via retail and online
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has passed a controversial bill legalizing sports betting at tribal casinos in the state into law.
The new law will enable retail and mobile betting at local tribal casinos, and will include professional and college sports, although betting on local college teams will be prohibited.
Inslee said the law would allow for tribes to participate in safe and well-regulated gaming activity.
#BREAKING: Gov Inslee signed ESHB 2638 into law. It authorizes retail & on-premise mobile sports wagering at Class III tribal casinos. It won’t begin right away though. Tribal gaming compacts will need to be negotiated and amended first. #waleg #sportsbetting #HB2638 pic.twitter.com/shOaHsnVFr
— WA Gambling Comm (@WAGambling) March 25, 2020
Washington Indian Gaming Association executive director Rebecca Kaldor said the revenue would help the tribal communities and governments to recover from the “devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Before betting is launched, tribal gaming compacts will need to be negotiated and amended, the Washington Gambling Commission said.
Many industry stakeholders opposed the bill as it excluded commercial casinos and online-only operators from competing in the market, including local card room operator Maverick Gaming.
Before the bill was passed, Maverick CEO Eric Persson urged locals to write to the governor and state officials to oppose the bill for giving tribes “the exclusive right to offer sports betting.”