SuperSonics star places first legal sports bet in Washington state

Just in time for the start of the regular season of the NFL, the first legal sports betting operation in Washington state started operations. On Thursday, a number of bettors lined up behind an athlete to place their first bets at a tribal casino in the eastern suburbs of Seattle.

Retired Seattle SuperSonics star Shawn Kemp was taken to the top of the line when Snoqualmie Casino launched its new sports betting offering. Kemp was betting that the Seahawks would win on Sunday when they open their season on the streets against the Colts.

The Snoqualmie tribe is already a winner by launching the first legal sports betting company in Washington. Fifteen more tribes across the state are in the final stages of state and federal approval. Under state law, sports betting is only offered on the premises of tribal casinos.

Stanford Le, CEO of Snoqualmie Casino, said it was a historic moment and “a real achievement” to open in time for the football season.

“We hope to attract new audiences, especially since Seattle is just one of the greatest sports fans in the country,” Le said on Thursday.

Bettors can bet on college and professional football, basketball, boxing, baseball, golf, soccer, motor sports, tennis, mixed martial arts, and hockey. However, games in which state colleges and minor league teams are involved are excluded.

“We had about a hundred [people] who got through in the first half an hour, ”reported Le of the sports betting opening. “The line continues to grow. So there is great interest here in Washington. “

Le said Thursday night’s season opening showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw plenty of action, as did the Seahawks kick-off on Sunday. The tribe’s new sportsbook replaced a room with slot machines. It has a service counter for accepting bets, automated betting kiosks, a bar, deck chairs and around 40 TV screens on which various games are played.

Soccer is the most popular sport among American gamblers, so there has been a concerted push from interested tribes, the Washington State Gambling Commission and the US Department of the Interior since the spring to change tribal gaming agreements and regulatory processes in time for the 2021 NFL season . Washington legislature voted in 2019 to introduce sports betting with availability restrictions.

When Snoqualmie Casino posted its sports betting opening date on Facebook on Wednesday, numerous commentators asked if they could place bets online from their home or office. The short answer is that Washington state law does not allow online wagering. At best, bettors can download an app that will accept bets as long as the person is anywhere on the casino grounds.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior has also approved compact sports gambling supplements for the Puyallup, Tulalip, Spokane, Cowlitz, Squaxin Island, Suquamish, Stillaguamish and Lummi tribes. Your sports betting openings could be weeks to months away. In the starting blocks close behind are the tribes Kalispel, Colville, Jamestown S’Klallam, Muckleshoot, Shoalwater Bay, Swinomish and Skokomish.

“The introduction of sports betting will give a real boost to the tribal communities still working to recover from the harsh effects of the COVID closings,” said Rebecca George, executive director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, in a statement Thursday. “And the positive benefits will extend well beyond tribal communities.”

The tribes keep all winnings from sports betting to use for government purposes such as housing, health care, education and natural resource improvement.

Since the spring, the Washington tribes have steered cash into a new political action committee to protect their gambling interests, including their monopoly on sports betting in the state. The Tulalip Tribes gave the Washington Coalition for Responsible Gaming PAC a $ 500,000 contribution, as reported for the first time in the Washington Observer’s political newsletter. Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Casino raised $ 100,000 and other contributions raised the war chest to $ 705,000.

The tribal PAC could be called upon if a chain of private card rooms decides to make another attempt to claim part of the sports betting promotion. Maverick Gaming was turned down by the Washington legislature two years in a row after lawmakers asked to allow sports betting in non-tribal card rooms and horse tracks. Maverick owns 19 neighborhood card rooms across Washington, sometimes called mini-casinos.

Two years ago, Maverick started his own PAC, Washington Wins. That PAC is now sitting at a cool $ 2.1 million, according to the state’s Public Disclosure Commission records. Political watchers and tribal interests have assumed Maverick will launch a citizens’ initiative to expand the availability of sports betting, but the ongoing pandemic has rocked the electoral qualification campaign.

A Maverick spokesman said in an email Thursday that the company’s unionized workers are focused on gaining support from the Washington legislature to include non-tribal commercial venues in the sports betting market. The local Teamsters, who represent Mavericks dealers and other card room employees, recently secured the support of the Washington State Labor Council for their cause.

Washington is the 24th state to offer legal sports betting, as is the District of Columbia. Five other states have pending launches. The steadily increasing number of states allowing sports betting is due to a 2018 ruling by the US Supreme Court that allowed states outside of Nevada to legalize sports betting.

Three tribal casinos on or near the Oregon coast offer on-site sports betting, as it comes to Washington. However, unlike Washington state, Oregon sports bettors also have an online option available anywhere in the state. This mobile betting platform is offered exclusively through the Oregon Lottery.

Idaho lawmakers have shown no interest in legalizing sports betting across the border in Gem State. California voters are expected to vote in 2022 whether their state should allow sports betting.

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