Gambling Commission, the Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe Reach Tentative Agreement on Sports Wagering Gaming Compact Amendment
OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington State Gambling Commission has reached a tentative agreement with the Sauk Suaittle Indian Tribe to amend its Class III gaming compact to add sports wagering. The Tribe is located in Darrington. (Read Full Amendment)
This tentative agreement to amend the Sauk Suaittle Indian Tribe's Class III gaming compact to include sports wagering represents the Gambling Commission's continued work with Tribal Gaming Agencies across the state. said Washington State Gambling Commission Chair Bud Sizemore. Our mutual efforts are successfully helping Tribal casinos add this new gaming experience for their customers .
"The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe is excited for the potential to explore this new gaming opportunity. We believe that sports betting presents an exciting new area that can provide needed economic opportunity to Sauk-Suiattle and all of Indian Country. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the Washington State Gambling Commission to offer robustly regulated gaming that still offers quality entertainment to customers" said Tribal Chair Nino Maltos II.
In March 2020, Governor Inslee signed ESHB 2638 authorizing sports wagering at Tribal Casinos. This sports wagering compact amendment establishes the framework for sports wagering at the Tribe's facility, continues the current Tribe-State co-regulatory structure while addressing the areas specified by the Legislature€”licensing, regulatory fees, operation and regulation of sports wagering, criminal enforcement, money laundering, sport integrity, and responsible problem gambling.
For questions for the Tribe please contact Kehl Van Winkle at kvanwinkle@mctlaw.com.
Public comments regarding this compact amendment may be submitted to compactcomments@wsgc.wa.gov.
BACKGROUND:
This tentative agreement must now go through a state and federal approval process. The next steps in this process are:
1. The Senate Labor, Commerce, and Tribal Affairs Committee hearing will be on November 15, 2021.
2. The House Commerce and Gaming Committee hearing is TBD.
3. The Gambling Commission will view and vote on this compact amendment at the November 16, 2021 public hearing. If approved by the agency's Commissioners, the proposed compact amendment will be forwarded to the Tribal Chair and then the Governor for signature.
4. Once signed by both the Tribal Chair and the Governor, the Tribe will send the amendment to the Secretary of the United States Department of Interior for consideration and publication in the Federal Register.
5. The compact amendment is not final, and sports wagering cannot begin, until it is published in the Federal Register.
Washington State was the first state in 2020 to enact a new sports wagering law. The Gambling Act (RCW 9.46) contains all sports wagering state laws, including additional money laundering and sport integrity provisions to protect gambling and sporting events occurring in the state and around the country.
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 provides that Indian tribes may conduct Class III gaming activities on Indian lands when the gaming is conducted in conformance with a tribal-state compact. RCW 9.46.360 provides that the Gambling Commission negotiate those compacts on behalf of the state. The Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe's compact for Class III gaming was originally signed in April 2000, and this is the third amendment.
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