Cardroom-backed sports betting bill filed in Washington State

On Wednesday, lawmakers in Washington introduced a bill that would expand the availability of legal sports betting to cardrooms, as the state’s cardrooms, led by Maverick Gaming, sought to legislatively break the existing monopoly. is the third time in three years. You can only bet at tribal casinos.

Washington is so far the only US state to give tribes full monopoly, but California, the nation’s largest tribal gaming state, may end up in a similar situation. A tribe in California managed to beat a commercial digital sports betting initiative late last year by one of the largest margins in American history.

In Arizona and Connecticut, tribes agreed to deals that gave up at least some of their monopoly rights, and in Michigan, in 2019, tribes were regulated by the state and agreed to pay taxes in exchange for maintaining monopoly rights. In Wisconsin, tribes have begun secretly re-entering states to add sports betting in 2021, and in New Mexico and Oregon, tribes have allowed sports betting without state oversight or new agreements. have started. Gambling is legal in over 30 states, each with its own unique system, and out of the 22 states with legal gambling and tribes, no two are the same.

Maverick Gaming, which owns 19 card rooms in Washington state, asked lawmakers for a more “comprehensive” gaming law dating back to 2020, when the legislature gave tribes monopolies over certain forms of gambling. I’ve been trying hard to get them to think about it. In addition to exploring the legislative route, Maverick Gaming filed a federal lawsuit in January 2022 challenging the monopoly.

West Coast card room prefers table seating

Legislation and litigation are just the latest attempts by Western card rooms to not only keep in business, but expand their business.

In 2022 in California, the Card Room lobbied against Proposition 26. Proposition 26 would have given the tribe a monopoly on his betting on face-to-face sports. Cardroom representatives said they were not necessarily seeking sports betting at their establishments and opposed any provision of the proposal that would allow the public to sue them directly.Washington State and In both California, tribes now hold monopolies over casino games and believe card rooms have encroached on their domains.

The tribes in India are only interested in putting the California card room out of business. If sports betting is the way to do it, they go that route.

— Slam (@slam254) November 9, 2022

With the moratorium on limited expansion lifted last year (effective Jan. 1, 2023) when the California Legislature failed to renew its ban on new card rooms in 1995, California’s card rooms will likely be out of business in the next few years. Might increase power. This suggests that the next time sports betting enters the political arena, either through legislation or initiative, California card rooms may have traction demanding more funding, voice and inclusion. could mean.

Washington tribes view the new law as an attack on their sovereignty.

“Washington tribes continue to strongly oppose the Maverick gambling expansion law,” Rebecca George of the Washington Indian Gaming Association said in a press release. We once again ask legislative leaders to reject it because it would seriously undermine the system and endanger the people of Washington.”

Maverick: Increased bets will be a boon

Maverick Gaming argues that while legislators voted against non-tribal games, it’s actually good for the state in terms of tax revenue, integrity, and access. They provide funds and services to society, but pay no taxes to the state and are largely regulated by tribal councils.

Maverick has some support in the state legislature, as HB 1630 was introduced in the House by Rep. Amy Warren and Larry Springer, and the Miller Act, SB 5587, was introduced by Sen. Curtis King and Rep. Marco Rias. The bill is essentially the same as the one introduced during the 2022 Congress, with an updated section on responsible gaming.

Under the new bill, betting will be legal in existing cardrooms and racetracks, taxed at 10% of gross gaming revenue, and banned in college sports, esports, high school sports, and competitive video games. The license fee will be $100,000.

Battle for Who Controls Sports Betting in Washington State | Digital Original https://t.co/72judivcrU

— Political Talks (@politic_talks) January 26, 2023

In 2021, a bill on sports betting introduced by the same legislator did not come out of commission, and in 2022, sports betting did not even receive a public hearing, even though the bill was introduced before Congress. bottom.

Despite the headwinds, Maverick Gaming is not backing down.

Maverick Gaming founder Eric Parson said in a press release, “We know that our view of sports betting is at odds with those who prefer monopolies in tribal casinos, but we want to keep their members safe. We respect your right to defend. “Maverick Gaming will one day allow sports betting at our state establishments, either pursuant to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling or to a fact-based state legislative overarching policy debate.” We will provide it.”