Earlier this week, a tribal casino launched the first mobile sports betting service in the state of Washington. The mobile sports betting options, however, will only be available for customers who are physically present at the Snoqualmie Casino.
The tribal casino venue, which is situated in close proximity to the city of Seattle, is the first facility in the state to start offering online sports betting services of any kind.
In 2021, the Snoqualmie Tribe reached an agreement with International Gaming Technology (IGT) to provide a sportsbook service at the casino. The Snoqualmie Tribe became one of the several Native American nations that received local authorities’ permission to offer retail sports betting services after the new form of gambling was officially allowed by the US Department of the Interior at casinos across the state. Retail sports betting has been available there since September 2021.
Now, under the agreement with IGT, the Snoqualmie Casino would be able to use PinPoint, the on-premise mobile product of International Gaming Technology. However, only casino patrons who are on the premises of the Snoqualmie Casino would be able to place sports wagers on their mobile devices. In order to do that, they would no longer have to visit the sports betting kiosks around the casino.
The Mobile Sports Betting Market in Washington State Practically Non-Existent
The general manager of PinPoint, Sam Basile, explained in a news release that the technology used by PinPoint is in line with a complex geolocation requirement that needs to be met in order for casino patrons to be able to place mobile sports wagers from within the Snoqualmie Casino and its surroundings.
As mentioned above, casino customers are now given the chance to make sports bets without going to one of the kiosks within the casino. In-play betting will also be possible through the mobile wagering service.
At a time when sports betting services at tribal casinos is becoming available, some of the largest companies in the US sports betting market have started making arrangements to join.
In September, FanDuel Sportsbook reached a partnership agreement with the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort. Under the deal, the US sports betting and daily fantasy sports provider would be able to offer retail sports wagering services at the tribal casino, which is situated about 15 miles away from Seattle. The US joint venture of Entain and MGM Resorts – BetMGM – agreed to a partnership deal with the Puyallup Tribe that currently operates two casino venues in Tacoma.
For the time being, there are no online casino services in the state of Washington. An actual mobile sports betting market is also practically non-existent because people are required to be physically present in a casino in order to place a wager. According to experts, in case the state of Washington adopts an open and regulated mobile sports betting market that does not require casino patrons to be inside the casino premises to place a bet, it would instantly feel the benefits that other states, including Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming, have.
