Chris Boline
When you bring up the popularity of Washington sports betting, people all over the state light up – it’s been a major success for everyone involved. However, not everyone is thrilled with the layout and the structure. Currently, lawsuits in Washington are still going to open more legal sports betting. Right now, the only legal sports bets that can be made in person are at tribal casinos. The tribes and the state reached their deal a while back.
With this, more and more casinos have opened up sports betting, with people all over Washington, particularly the Seattle area, rushing in to get wagers in. However, this has frustrated several other casino owners out there. This includes the owners over at Maverick Gaming, who have become a major player in the gambling ranks in Washington. Maverick CEO Erik Persson knows the potential of sports betting in Washington.
However, he and his team don’t like the fact that they have to sit on the sidelines and watch the tribes have all of the fun. Persson likes the idea of his casinos and card rooms having the ability to let their visitors make sports bets as well. If this were to happen, it would only increase their business and bring in more people to their locations. As things stand, though, that’s not an option for folks.
Last year, Persson filed a lawsuit to challenge the pact agreed upon between the Indian tribes and the state of Washington. Things had been put on the back-burner, but Maverick Gaming as a whole has voiced how they want to see things change. Right now, it’s unlikely the lawsuits will go anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that Persson isn’t going to go down without a fight. He’s hoping things can change here soon enough.
Sports betting in Washington has been massive for the NFL season
What has added to Persson’s frustration is that sports betting in Washington has been massive for the NFL season and things are only going to get bigger and better in the coming weeks. With the Seattle Seahawks in town, people all over Washington checked the NFL betting odds from start to finish during the regular season. It was supposed to be a down year for the Seahawks, but Geno Smith was fantastic in his first year as the starter.
In wild fashion, the Seahawks ended up making the postseason after the Detroit Lions stunned the Green Bay Packers during Sunday Night Football. Now, people in Seattle near Lumen Field are passionately checking the Super Bowl betting odds to see if their favorite team has a chance. In turn, people are firing up playoff bets and doing so at tribal casinos on a consistent basis here.
This is only going to make Persson and the other people interested in the sports betting lawsuits more angry. This is something that they feel should be able to get done at other casinos and card rooms, not just on tribal land. Across the United States, we are seeing sports betting grow and different businesses are offering services. In Ohio, kiosks are available at bars and restaurants, which has really changed the game.
It isn’t just on tribal lands where you’re seeing sports bets being made, but that’s not the case in Washington. Only time will tell how things end up finalizing, but no one knows where or not things will be changed in the future. Persson and Maverick Gaming are adamant that something needs to be done here and they’re hoping that soon enough their voices can be heard in court. This is a wait and see.
The Seahawks still haven’t missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons under Pete Carroll. pic.twitter.com/Nm1CNpMk2q
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 9, 2023
Seattle getting an NBA team will completely change sports betting in Washington
When looking toward the future as well, keep in mind that Seattle getting an NBA team will completely change sports betting in Washington as we know it. Reports continue to swirl that an expansion team could be headed to Seattle for the 2024-25 season. If that’s the case, then basketball fans everywhere are going to be thrilled, as countless hoops supporters remain heartbroken from when the Seattle SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City.
With so much basketball interest in the state, people still check the NBA odds and like placing wagers on them. However, if a new team does in fact make its way to Climate Pledge Arena, then we are surely going to see the betting numbers skyrocket in this case. People would absolutely love the ability to bet on a new squad in the area, there’s no doubt about that. We are waiting for the NBA to make an announcement in the near future on that, as Las Vegas is also expected to get a new team.
With all of that said, Persson and Co. probably understand this impact for the future. It gives them yet another reason to be able to have sports betting options and kiosks at their locations. Once the NBA does return to Seattle, which feels like only a matter of time, it’ll be massive for sports gambling as a whole. Persson and Maverick Gaming are going to want a piece of that betting pie.
Wonder if LeBron is gonna tour Climate Pledge or meet with OVG while he’s here since he wants to own an nba team in Vegas and OVG plans an arena there and just finished the arena here in the past year and Vegas should be the 2nd expansion team w/Seattle (and breathe) https://t.co/Sgkhv2NKYy
— Tim Booth (@ByTimBooth) August 19, 2022
