Washington State Takes Next Steps Toward Legal Sports Betting
The possibility of legal sports betting in Washington State took a major step on Wednesday with the Washington State Gambling Commission voting 4-0 to approve final rules governing the certification and licensing of a potential platform. The rules immediately pave the way for potential providers, many of which are expected to be among the elite in the US legal sports betting space to start the process of launching one of the sportsbooks that will open up on tribal lands in the state.
Rebecca George, Executive Director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, said in a statement: “This vote by the Gambling Commission means Washington State tribes remain on track to be able to go live with sports betting on the premises of tribal casinos in the near future. We applaud the effort and work that the Gambling Commission and its staff have put into keeping this process moving forward in a timely and responsible way, and we are pleased that it appears that interested adults in Washington State will soon be able to place wagers on sporting events in a safe and responsible way."
The sports betting legalization process may seem like it has dragged but it has actually been quite swift in the Evergreen State. Despite come controversial and head-scratching aspects of the proposed legislation, Washington State seems to be on track to have some form of legal sports betting in place by the start of the NFL season. That is if all of the remaining legislative hurdles are cleared in an appropriate timeframe.
A Bit of Background Into the Process
Washington State lawmakers approved retail-only, tribal-only wagering in March 2020, but it was back in June that real momentum was gained when Governor Jay Inslee renegotiated gaming compacts with 15 tribes in the state to allow for sports betting on their lands.
Those renegotiated compacts were signed off by Gov. Inslee July 12, kicking off a 45-day period in which the US Department of the Interior has to approve such changes in tribal compacts. The magic date for that approval is August 26, although approval could come sooner than that.
Washington will be looking to take the betting practice from offshore sportsbooks and into the hands of state regulators. It is a play for control and also for tax revenue that the state is currently missing out on.
“I think legal sports wagering is a benefit to the citizens of Washington and we are getting rid of the black market, so good work everyone,” said Commission chair Bud Sizemore.
Rebecca George said of the impact of legalization: “Tribal sports betting will boost our economy and generate much-needed revenue to fund important services for communities across Washington.”
More About the Rules
The Washington legal sports betting platform will have a retail and a mobile wing with any internet-based bets having to take place on tribal lands only. Those Washingtonians wishing to place a bet from the comfort of their own homes will likely be disappointed in the limitations of the state's mobile scene.
That said, the betting menus for Washington sportsbooks will be similar to those in competing jurisdictions. Wagering will be allowed on global pro sports, college sports (minus the in-state teams) international sports including the Olympics and eSports.
One rule that has changed during the process is $20,000 reduction in the license fee for major vendors, but the rest has remained largely the same from lawmakers’ earlier attempts to shore up what the platform would look like.
Looking Ahead
The ball is certainly rolling on a legal sports betting platform in Washington State and their 7.6 million residents. As for when bettors get their chance to wager on their favorite sport is still up in the air. There are still a couple of regulatory hurdles to clear including the US Department of the Interior sign-off on the renegotiated compact.
All signs are pointing to Washington State going live before the kickoff of the NFL season September 9. A ton of work still has to be done however - the state hasn't even awarded licenses to hopeful providers just yet. Betfred, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, the two DFS giants-turned sports betting provider behemoths, and Rush Street Interactive have already got their pre-licensing packages in anticipation of attempting to become one of the lucky operators in the state.
It remains to be seen just how robust a market Washington State's betting scene will be. Limitations on mobile betting will certainly hurt the bottom line. But hopes are that the state's betting industry can eventually evolve and put it on a level playing field with other middling sports betting states in the country.
