A cardroom operator filed a federal lawsuit that claimed Native American casinos have a tribal sports betting monopoly in Washington. Also, they added that the tribal casinos monopolized other gaming types in the state, including craps and roulette.
Maverick Gaming filed the lawsuit in the US District Court in Washington, DC. Maverick operates 19 out of 44 card rooms in Washington. Eric Persson, the owner of the gambling company, lobbied to expand sports betting outside tribal casinos.
However, Persson failed to convince lawmakers. As a result, lawmakers approved sports wagering for tribal casinos in 2020. In addition, the new law took effect in September 2021. Next, maverick lobbied for bills to expand sports betting in card rooms. However, the company’s efforts never reach the voting floor. Last week, lawmakers denied putting online sports betting expansion to the voting floor.
Tribal Sports Betting Monopoly
The betting odds of sports betting expansion in Washington is next to none. Nevertheless, the state negotiated amendments to compacts with fifteen tribes operating gambling facilities. The first one was the Snoqualmie Casino that launched its sportsbook in September. The Kalispel and Stillaguamish tribes followed soon after.
The new lawsuit wants to invalidate the compacts with tribal casinos. In addition, it would put sports betting in the state on hold if the court rules in favor of Maverick Gaming. Also, the lawsuit claims that Governor Jay Inslee, US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the Washington State Gambling Commission, and Attorney General Bob Ferguson wrongfully applied the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to prevent gambling outside tribal grounds.
Persson said that he’d continue to lobby for expanding gambling laws in Washington. He wants the state to allow people to bet on sports in card rooms. First, however, he filed a lawsuit to stop the unconstitutional monopoly of sports betting in the state.
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