The Washington State Gaming Commission has reached a tentative agreement with the Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe to amend the Tribe’s Cass III gaming compact to allow sports betting.
The Darrington-based tribe joins a long list of tribes that have recently been permitted to offer sports betting, including the Tulalip Tribes, the Skokomish Indian Tribe and the Suquamish Tribe.
Should the agreement become official, the Sauk Suiattle Tribe will be approved to offer retail and mobile-on-site sports betting at Last Chance Bingo and Casino, the Tribe’s Class III gaming facility in Darrington.
“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.”
Tribal Chair Nino Maltos II said: “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”
The agreement is not final until approved via state and federal processes. It now moves to the Washington Senate Labor, Commerce, and Tribal Affairs Committee hearing scheduled for November 15. The agreement will then be heard by the House Commerce and Gaming Committee; that hearing date is yet to be determined.
Final steps include a review and vote by the Gambling Commission at the November 16 public hearing. Once approved, the agreement moves to the Tribal Chair and the Governor’s desk for signature. Once signed, the agreement will be reviewed by the Secretary of the United States Department of Interior. Finally, it must be published in the Federal Register before the Sauk Suiattle Tribe can accept sports wagers.