Washington Gambling Commission Approves Fifteen Tribal Sports Wagering Compacts

The Washington State Gambling Commission has unanimously approved sports wagering compact amendments for fifteen federally recognized Tribes at its public meeting held on June 10.

The Colville, Cowlitz, Jamestown S’Klallum, Kalispel, Lummi, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Shoalwater Bay, Snoqualmie, Spokane, Squaxin Island, Stillaguamish, Suquamish, Swinomish, and Tulalip are those 15 Tribes.

These compacts will go onto each Tribe’s Chair and Governor Inslee for their approvals. Once signed by both, each compact amendment will be forwarded to the Secretary of the Department of Interior for review and action. The Department of Interior has 45 days to act once they receive it or it is deemed approved and published in the federal register. Each sports wagering compact amendment must be entered into the federal register before it is effective.

Each sports wagering compact amendment allows the Tribe and State the ability to effectively address the Legislature’s primary sports wagering policy concerns now codified in the Gambling Act: licensing, agency funding, regulation, criminal enforcement, money laundering, sport integrity, and responsible and problem gambling.

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Additionally, the agency’s Commissioners reviewed and unanimously approved initial draft sports wagering rules. The agency’s Commissioners will hold a special public meeting on July 28 to review and approve final sports wagering rules. The agency’s goal is for the rules to be effective at the end of August in time for the beginning of the 2021 NFL season.