State Senate passes sports gambling bill for tribal casinos

In a vote to expand gambling in this state beyond anything seen in decades, the Washington Senate late Thursday night approved an emergency bill authorizing sports gaming in Native American tribal casinos.

EHB 2638 was not without controversy, as commercial card room casinos complained it excludes them and denies the state up to $50 million annually in tax revenue. An emergency provision tacked on to the bill last month also assures it won’t be subjected to a statewide referendum requiring 60 percent approval to pass.

While minor amendments to the bill mean it must be re-approved by the House before the end of the legislative session March 12, that’s considered a formality before it’s forwarded this spring to Gov. Jay Inslee to sign. The 34-15 Senate vote, exceeding the required 60 percent to pass gambling legislation, came after 11 p.m. and followed rigorous debate over use of the emergency clause and the decision to grant tribes an exclusive first crack at one of the fastest growing gaming sectors.

“The 29 tribes in Washington State have a deep historical experience overseeing responsible gaming for three decades,” W. Ron Allen, CEO of Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, said in a statement.

Opponents of the bill, most notably card room operator Maverick Gaming, have vowed to spend tens of millions of dollars to block it from becoming law.

Tribal leaders and officials from the Washington Indian Gaming Association — a nonprofit group that promotes tribal gaming interests — testified at public hearings that revenue from sports gambling is needed for continued self-governance programs.

“Tribal gaming is government gaming,” WIGA executive director Rebecca Kaldor said in a statement released after the vote. “It is much different from commercial gaming. Indian gaming funds essential services desperately needed in our communities — education, natural resources, human services, housing and infrastructure, just to name a few.”

Sports gambling is illegal in Washington, as in most parts of the country. But that began shifting in May 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a quarter-century-old law banning sports betting everywhere but Las Vegas and a handful of other places.