Chris Boline
When it comes to the changes for sports betting in Washington state, things have really been taking off since 2020 when things were made legal. As things stand, online betting is a go, while people can also make in-person bets at the authorized tribal casinos. However, things could end up changing, as news has arrived of a casino owner suing to have sports betting in Washington cardrooms. This would completely impact everything for betting in the state.
According to a report, Maverick Gaming CEO Eric Persson is not a fan of his locations not being able to have sports betting go down. Maverick Gaming operates a head-turning 19 cardrooms in Washington. Keep in mind that there are only 44 licensed cardrooms in the state, meaning Maverick Gaming has a huge presence. As things stand, those cardrooms can’t have sports betting kiosks. With that said, Persson is pushing for the laws to be changed, as he doesn’t think things are fair.
“We think the law passed by the state of Washington is ultimately being misapplied,” Persson said in an interview with the Nevada Independent on why he thinks that things should be changed for his cardrooms and legal betting. “We think this will eventually wind its way to the Supreme Court. We’re extremely confident that when it does, we’re going to be on the winning side.”
As you can see from Persson’s quote, he’s confident that things will end up in his company’s favor, though the tribes have already asked the courts to throw things out the window. We should find out soon enough if there will be expansion for sports betting in Washington, with the cardrooms waiting for their turn to take advantage of things. There’s a lot of revenue on the line here, which makes sense as to why Persson and Co. want to see a change.
Maverick Gaming CEO Eric Persson tells @howardstutz that he's "extremely confident" that the company's lawsuit challenging a sports betting monopoly among tribal casinos will ultimately prevail in court:https://t.co/O99jXIXf82
— Nevada Independent (@TheNVIndy) October 10, 2022
Washington tribes are not happy about the lawsuit
As you might have been able to guess, Washington tribes are not happy about the lawsuit, as it would flip the script for gambling in Washington on sports. Right now, people are able to check out the NFL betting odds for the Seattle Seahawks during the current campaign and then place their bets online, or head to a tribal casino to make a wager. This was the agreement that was made with the state when things launched in the first place.
This allowed these particular tribes/casinos to operate the way they’ve wanted too, with some new doors opening recently too. If the cardrooms end up being allowed to have sports betting at their spots, then it’s going to obviously take away plenty of business from the tribes who have already been granted their betting licenses. This doesn’t sit well with a lot of people, and those same people are pushing for things to be kept the same.
“Maverick’s lawsuit is also a direct attack on tribal sovereignty,” Washington Indian Gaming Association Director Rebecca George said via the Nevada Independent. “As sovereign tribes, we have carefully and thoughtfully negotiated tribal gaming compacts with the state of Washington. Now, in violation of our sovereignty, Maverick seeks to wipe out every one of those compacts.”
George doesn’t like how things are being handled and she has a lot of support on her side. The tribes are in complete unison here and they won’t allow Persson and the Maverick Gaming side to try and alter what’s been going on for the past couple of years. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out in the courts, and things are only going to get even more interesting if the Supreme Court ends up making a decision.
These rookies just keep on making big plays.
📺: next up #AZvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/XykEE7L1Ey
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 12, 2022
NCAA bets continue to rise in Washington this year
What makes this legal battle even bigger is that NCAA bets continue to rise in Washington this year thanks to the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars. Those two teams have been a bit up and down this season, but Pac-12 fans love watching them in action. With this, folks all over the state have been checking the NCAAF betting odds and laying down some money on both the Huskies and Cougars.
This is only going to keep going with the season in full swing. This weekend, the Cougars will take on Oregon State in Corvallis, and the bets are raining in. Meanwhile for the Huskies, they’re hoping to take care of business against Arizona after suffering back-to-back losses to UCLA and Arizona State, respectively. UW has struggled in recent weeks, but people believe they can get things back on the right track in Week 7.
Once the Apple Cup, the game between Washington and Washington State, arrives, there will be countless bets made. Both the tribal casinos and Maverick Gaming know all about this, which is why one side wants no change, and the other does. It will be interesting to see how everything goes down, but you already know that NCAA betting will be a moneymaker regardless.
