Will Washington State have legal sports betting? We’re probably years away from that happening despite the fact that other states across the nation have been proactive in drafting legislation to legalize gambling in their state.
Last year, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal law that banned sports gambling in all but a handful of states. The U.S. Supreme Court left it to the individual states to decide whether or not they allowed gambling. Currently, there are 8 states that have passed laws to allow legal betting in pro and college sports.
In the 2019 legislation session, Olympia had three bills on gambling on pro and college sports. But none of those bills came close to passage.
HB 1975, as outlined by the Tacoma News Tribune, was the most notable as it would have allowed Vegas-style gambling only at tribal casinos. As you might expect, there was opposition by trade groups representing card rooms, sports bars and restaurants.
This doesn’t even consider the possibility of mobile sports betting. HB 1975 would have allowed bets to occur over one’s phone only if the individual is in a tribal casino. But first, the stakeholders must decide on a platform.
HB 1975 received the most attention because of the strong backing by the tribal casinos. But this was offset by other potential venues for gambling including the Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn, Washington. Emerald Downs, which also houses a casino on its premises, voted against the measure despite the fact the track is run by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.
Since this is a new issue for lawmakers to grasp, there are a lot of questions and concerns. One of the major issues is the possibility of the rise of gambling addiction. In addition, the economic impact of regulating sports gambling is an interesting proposition for the state which is always is always looking for ways to generate revenue. According to the American Gaming Association, there is an estimated $58 billion bet on the NFL and college football each year. But, most of that is illegal. If the state can realize on a fraction of the amount of money through regulated sports betting, it would certainly be a boon. HB 1975 which would allow sports betting on tribal lands would mean that state and local governments would not receive tax revenue but only through a trickle-down affect from consumer spending.
If, or maybe when, sports betting is legalized in the state, one would have to think that the Washington State Gambling Commission would be a part of overseeing regulation.
Other states including Montana and Oregon have moved forward in legalizing sports gambling.