Washington Govt. signs sports betting deal with one more tribe

Washington state gambling officials and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians jointly announced Tuesday they have reached an agreement that would allow sports betting operations at Northern Quest Resort & Casino.

"This is pretty monumental. This is a big deal," said Kevin Zenishek, executive director of casino operations at Northern Quest, as reported by The Spokesman-Review. "We worked with the state to make sure that we could this. The goal here was to bring a form of sports gambling that was legal and honest."

The Kalispels are one of four tribes that have received the green light to pursue the new-gaming compact amendment. Another 7 to 10 tribes are expected to be announced Wednesday, said Brian Considine, the legal and legislative manager of the Washington State Gambling Commission.

The agreements will allow almost all gambling involving sports, but the Washington Legislature added some rules that will make the compacts different from those in Las Vegas and New Jersey, he said. "The Legislature had certain things it wanted prohibited," Considine said. "You can bet on college sports, but not in-state college sports. So, you couldn't bet on Gonzaga, WSU or Seattle U. You also cannot bet on the minor league teams, like the hockey team in Spokane or the Spokane Indians," he continued. "What is allowed is your usual, full-fledged professional sports, Olympic sports and E-sports. You can also bet on college sports, just not in-state."

Under the proposed agreements, tribal casinos would allow mobile gaming on smartphone apps as long as the gamblers remain on casino grounds. Zenishek said that would mean that anyone can use mobile wagering as long as they are at the hotel, concert areas or casino grounds if they download the Northern Quest app. The app would not work once the person leaves casino grounds, he added.

Kalispel officials have already started prefabricating features for a remodel that will convert the Turf Club Lounge into the Turf Club Sports Book, he said. "We are going to go under construction in June, barring any delays," Zenishek said.

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. "I'd say the start of football season is the goal," Zenishek said. "We do feel confident that it should fit into that football season if all things happen on time."

Considine said the next step would be for state officials to draft licensing and regulations that will go before a public hearing of the Gambling Commission on June 10. "We are hoping to have it effective by the end of August, so anybody who is ready can get licensed ... and get things launched," he said.

Each compact amendment also will require signatures from each tribal chair and Gov. Jay Inslee. They would then be forwarded to U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland for approval and publication into the Federal Register.