SPORTS BETTING
US – US Department of the Interior approves applications for tribal sports betting
By Phil - 2 September 2021
Tribal casinos in Washington should be offering sports betting in time for the new NFL season curtain raisers on September 9 following approvals from the US Department of the Interior.
It has approved sports gambling compact amendments for the Puyallup, Tulalip, Snoqualmie, Spokane, Cowlitz, Squaxin, Suquamish, Stillaguamish and Lummi tribes, with applications from Muckleshoot, Swinomish, Skokomish, Kalispel, Jamestown S’Klallam, Shoalwater Bay and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation all still pending.
The Washington State Gambling Commission in late July gave final approval to sports gambling proposals outlined by tribes, hoping to have everything in place by the Sept. 9 NFL season opener. Native American tribes see the NFL season as a prime source of sports gambling revenue at a time their communities — badly hit by COVID-19 shortfalls — need additional money to provide various health, education and other social services.
Stanford Le, President and CEO of the Snoqualmie Casino, said: “We’ve worked diligently with the Washington State Gambling Commission, the Snoqualmie Gaming Commission and our vendors for them to submit license applications and are currently on track for the opening week of the 2021 NFL season.”
Rebecca George, Executive Director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, said: “This marks a major milestone in Washington State’s Native American tribes’ efforts to strengthen the self-reliance of our tribal communities. We now expect the availability of safe and regulated sports betting to begin at Tribal casinos across Washington State in the next few months.”
