- The Colville, Shoalwater Bay, and Muckleshoot Tribes gained federal approval to launch sportsbooks in Washington.
- The Snoqualmie Tribe launched its sportsbook last week while 15 tribes total can launch according to regulations.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Local Washington State tribes have gained federal approval to launch sportsbooks in the coming weeks. The Colville, Shoalwater Bay, and Muckleshoot Tribes received their approval on Thursday.
Nine other tribes gained federal approval last week and four more are awaiting word from the US Department of Interior.
The Snoqualmie Tribe has already launched, going live opening weekend of the 2021 NFL season.
With more sportsbooks on the horizon, the Washington sports betting market is shaping up to be one filled with options.
Washington Sportsbooks Incoming
No official date has been announced for the approved tribes, but they can go live at any moment. The federal approval granted tribes to offer betting lines at their retail casinos as well as mobile sportsbooks on grounds.
Residents can expect to begin seeing these sports betting operations launch before the end of September as tribes would want to cash in on NFL wagers.
“The strong partnership that tribal governments in Washington State have built up over the last three decades with the state of Washington and the federal government was further affirmed today, with the Interior Department approving three more tribal compacts, covering the Colville, Shoalwater Bay and Muckleshoot Tribes, allowing those tribes to move forward with sports betting.,” said Rebecca George, Executive Director of the Washington Indian Gaming Association (WIGA). “Those three tribes join the nine others that received Interior Department approval last week. Four more tribal sports betting compacts are pending approval.”
Already Live
The Snoqualmie Casino already accepts wagers and saw Seattle SuperSonics All-Star Shawn Kemp place the first bet in the casino. This kicked off the sports betting era in Washington State.
The mobile sportsbook has yet to launch but is expected to be live before month’s end. This app will be geofenced within the Snoqualmie Casino perimeter.
“It is only because of the hard work and collaboration between the Washington State Gambling Commission, the Snoqualmie Gaming Commission and our casino team members that we are able to accomplish this milestone in time for the kick-off of the NFL season,” said Stanford Le, CEO and President of Snoqualmie Casino.
The expanded gambling market in Washington is already off to a strong start.