More Tribes Seek Sports Betting Licenses In Washington

• Washington now has 15 tribes with tentative sports betting expansions.
• The state hopes to launch its sportsbooks before the end of 2021.
• There are still a few more steps that need to take place before these new Tribal Gaming Compacts can go live.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Four tribes in Washington already made sports betting expansion agreements with the Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC), and this week, eleven more tribes have negotiated their new Tribal Gaming Compacts. This makes for a total of 15 tribes in the state that will be offering regulated sports wagering.

The latest tribes to enter the Washington sports betting market are the Colville, Cowlitz, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lummi, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Shoalwater Bay, Spokane, Squaxin Island, Stillaguamish, and Swinomish Tribes.

Washington Sports Betting

There are 25 federally recognized tribes in Washington that are eligible to enter the regulated sports gaming industry in the state. Currently, 15 tribes have opted in to offer sports betting at their establishments. The eleven new additions will all be under the same language of the Tribal Gaming Compact that was written up through the Suquamish Tribe.

“These new compacts will boost our state economy and fund important services for some of the poorest and historically most underserved communities in Washington,” said Rebecca George, Executive Director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA). “These agreements stand as a testament to the strong and enduring partnership tribes in Washington have built with the state over the last three decades to provide safe, limited, and regulated gaming options at tribal casinos.”

The four previously accepted sports betting tribes were the Tulalip, Suquamish, Kalispel, and Snoqualmie Tribes. Under all of the agreements, retail and mobile sportsbooks will be offered through each organization and their facilities. While these compacts have been agreed upon through the WSGC and the tribes, they still have some hurdles to get through.

The WSGC has to go over the deals one more time on June 10 with a public meeting to put the language to a vote. Then each compact will require the signature of the Tribal Chair and Governor Jay Inslee before being sent off to the U.S. Department of the Interior for a 45-day period and subsequent approval.

They will then be published in the Federal Register and can go live in the state. Washington hopes to launch its sports betting industry prior to the end of 2021.

News tags: Colville | Cowlitz | Federal Register | Jamestown S’Klallam | Jay Inslee | Kalispel | Lummi | Muckleshoot | Puyallup | Rebecca George | Shoalwater Bay | Snoqualmie | Spokane | Squaxin Island | Stillaguamish | Suquamish | Swinomish | Tulalip | U.S. Department of the Interior | Washington | Washington Indian Gaming Association | Washington State Gambling Commission