Washington gambling officials and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians have reached an agreement, permitting sports wagering in Northern Quest Resort and Casino.
The Biggest Move in Decades for the Kalispel Tribe
On Tuesday, Washington gambling officials and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians have announced that they have reached an agreement allowing sports betting in Northern Quest Resort and Casino. According to a spokesman of the tribe, this is the biggest move in decades for the tribe, comparing it to building Northern Quest in 1998.
Sports betting at the tribal casinos became legal after the 2018 US Supreme Court ruling. Following that decision, Washington passed HB 2638, allowing all sports wagering at tribal casinos, but the negotiations suffered delays due to the global pandemic. Legislators have argued that sports wagering could boost Washington’s economic recovery.
Last month, the Tulalip Tribes also reached an agreement with the Washington Gambling Commission, bringing to the state in-person sports wagering and online bets on tribal casino grounds.
There Are 7 to 10 Tribes Awaiting Announcement on Wednesday
Northern Quest Director of casino operations Kevin Zenishek said that the tribe and the legislators worked hard on this deal to bring an honest form of sports gambling.
Kalispel Tribe is one of the four tribes to have “a green light to pursue the new-gambling compact amendment.” There are 7 to 10 more tribes who await the announcement on Wednesday, according to the legal and legislative manager of the Washington State Gambling Commission, Brian Considine. He said that the Spokane Tribe also inquired about sports betting, but it is not ready to announce agreements yet.
Although the agreements, after the US supreme court ruling, would allow almost all types of sports wagering, Washington Legislature added some rules, different from those in other states. Considine said that the legislature prohibited certain things. For instance, players can bet on college sports, but not in-state college sports. He stated that bettors could not wager on minor league teams. They are allowed to bet on the usual professional sports, Olympic sports, and E-sports, and out-of-state college sports.
Before these agreements, Washington legislators didn’t permit mobile or online gambling. Tribal casinos would offer mobile gaming on apps. Players can use them only while they are physically located on the casino grounds. Once they leave the area, the apps wouldn’t work.
Northern Quest Is Already Remodeling
The Kalispel tribe has already begun remodeling. It will convert the Turf Club Lounge into Turf Club Sports Book. Zenishek said that the construction would start in June. According to him, if everything goes to plan, it should fit into the football season.
While the framework of the deals has been reached, all the tribal compacts must go through a series of state and federal approvals before sports wagering can start.
All the tribal compacts have to go through a series of approvals before betting can begin. Considine stated that the state officials would draft the licensing and regulations, which would go to a public hearing of the Gambling Commission on June 10. All of the amendments will need a signature from every tribal chair and Gov. Jay Inslee. After that, they will move forward to the US Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland for approval and registration.