Las Vegas’ Maverick Gaming Supports WA Sports Betting Bills

• Maverick Gaming is showing their support of two sports betting bills that are now in the House of Representatives in the state of Washington.
• The company has 19 card rooms in the state where they could offer wagering on sports should it become legal.
• At this point in time, the House has not put the topic of sports betting legalization on their docket for this session.

SEATTLE – Las Vegas gaming company Maverick Gaming has spoken out with their support of two bills that have recently reached the House in the state of Washington.

Both bills would legalize retail and internet/mobile sports betting platforms in the state. Maverick employs over 2,000 people in the Evergreen State with 19 card rooms which are a type of business that would be allowed to offer legal sports wagers should the proposals pass.

The bills WA SB 6277 and WA HB 2478 would legalize wagering on sporting events with the exception of Washington affiliated colleges and collegiate matches that take place within state lines.

While Maverick has voiced their support, their backing of the bills will have no effect on how they move through the House. Currently, there is no date set in this session for sports betting discussions.

Maverick And The Bills

It’s an election year in Washington which means that the House session lasts for just 60 days. With everything that needs to be covered in those 60 days, making it legal to bet on sports isn’t high up on the list of priorities for lawmakers. The fact that the bills have not been scheduled to be heard shows that they might not make it to the main stage this session.

However, Maverick would like to see the pastime made legal as it would benefit their company and its employees as well as helping with the economy in the state.

“Legal sports betting will give lawmakers the opportunity to create a regulated system that collects tax revenues that should be used to address community needs, supports a strong sustainable workforce, and provides economic opportunity in this growing global market,” said Eric Persson, CEO of Maverick. “Critically, regulated, legal sports betting has the dual benefit of undermining offshore criminal networks which currently profit from the unregulated and unsafe system.”

While the company is eager to get legal sports betting off of the ground in the state, it would seem that 2021 would be the year to show their unwavering support of the idea. It’s true that legal wagers on sporting events could greatly help the state with a new revenue stream but the hobby is not a pressing matter.

At this point, the session for the House in Washington is treating topics in the state in a triage type of way, where the biggest problems go to the top of the list and gambling on sports isn’t one of them.

Maverick Gaming may eventually find legal sports betting in Washington, they just might not find it in 2020. When it does become legal, they will profit from the new law through their current establishments throughout the state.

The company has plans of investing over $500 million throughout the Evergreen state in the form of entertainment businesses and expanding on their card rooms.

Lawmakers that are interested in the proposal now have the company’s CEO Persson publicly making himself available to discuss anything they may want to know about the gaming business to make the legalization of sports betting in Washington a reality.

News tags: Eric Persson | Las Vegas | Maverick Gaming | WA HB 2478 | WA SB 6277