Washington Has First Tribal Sportsbook Deal Done

The Tulalip Tribes in Washington have become the first tribe in the state to agree on a Tribal Gaming Compact that includes sports betting.
Over eleven tribes in Washington want to open retail sportsbooks at their gaming facilities in the state.
Washington is expected to go live with their regulated sports wagering market by the start of the 2021 NFL season.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – It has been over a year since Washington regulated sports betting, however, until now tribes have not reached agreements for the new industry, making the Tulalip Tribes the first to do so.

As it’s been said many times before, it is more difficult to go live with a tribal sports wagering market because there are two governments involved that need to approve the terms rather than only the one required for commercial businesses. Now, with the Tulalip on board, the timeline for a rollout of the market in Washington looks to be just in time for the NFL season.

“We are extremely satisfied with the compact amendment and our ability to work together with the State on this effort to maintain a strong regulatory environment for gaming in Washington State. Sports wagering is an exciting new opportunity for Washingtonians,” said Teri Gobin, Tulalip Tribes Chairwoman. “The revenue sports wagering provides — like all tribal gaming revenue — stays in Washington, creating jobs and increasing charitable contributions that benefit communities throughout the state.”

What Does This Mean For Washington?

The Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) announced on Friday that the Tulalip Tribes and their locations were the first in the state to agree to terms for a regulated sports betting industry. Of the 22 recognized tribes in the state, more than half have gone to the WSGC to expand their Tribal Gaming Compacts to include sportsbooks. All of these negotiations are expected to be agreed upon and in place by this Fall.

“We believe that this compact amendment is a thoughtful approach by the Tribe and State that ensures sports wagering will be conducted with the highest integrity while protecting the public by keeping gambling legal and honest,” said Bud Sizemore, Washington State Gambling Commission Chair. “The State and Tribal negotiation team did a great job coming to this agreement. There is still a lot of work before the first regulated sportsbook opens in our state, and I’m hopeful sports wagering can launch before the NFL regular season begins.”

The Tulalip Resort Casino and the Quil Ceda Creek Casino would be the locations for the two sportsbooks through this first agreement. No mobile sportsbooks were greenlit in the state, so all sports betting once launched, can only be done at tribal retail establishments. Professional sports will be open for betting lines and college sports excluding state schools will also have wagers tied to them.

What’s Coming?

More tribal agreements are slated to take place in the coming weeks. All of the tribes that want to be a part of the Washington sports betting market should have their gaming compacts reflecting these expansions come September. While things have been known to come up to delay the process, there is no official schedule for when sportsbooks will go live in the state.

However, the word is that Washington will see tons of NFL betting on the Seattle Seahawks being done at sports wagering venues at local establishments come September.

Advertising Disclosure

In order to provide you with the best independent sports betting news and content LegalSportsBetting.com may receive a commission from partners when you make a purchase through a link on our site.

Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.