Limit sports betting to tribal casinos | Guest Opinion

To read what one Kennewick business owner has to say about this plan, please go to: “Licensed card rooms should be allowed to offer sports betting.”

In 2018, the US Supreme Court opened the door to sports betting in states across the country. Since then, our legislature has been working thoughtfully on how to legalize sports betting in Washington in a sensible way that provides real public benefits, limits a widespread expansion of gambling, and is safe and carefully regulated.

After two years of study, a bipartisan majority of legislators is concluding that the best approach to sports betting is to limit it to the premises of tribal casinos. They have not advanced a different proposal, pushed by a Las Vegas gambling company that recently spent tens of millions purchasing about half of the state’s card rooms, that would allow unlimited online and mobile sports betting in every community across Washington.

There are sound reasons so many elected leaders are supporting a more limited and carefully regulated approach. They know it would keep sports betting revenues in the state, where they support some of our poorest and neediest communities. Nor would it expand the gambling footprint in Washington, as allowing easy access to online sports betting on every laptop and smart phone would. And, by geographically restricting access, the threat of problem gambling will be greatly reduced.

Legislators also understand that tribal governments make a tremendous impact on our state’s economy through employment, purchasing goods and services, and contributing to local communities. Revenue raised at tribal casinos stays in local communities and is spent on public priorities that improve the lives of tribal and non-tribal residents alike, rather than flowing into the pockets of a private company based outside Washington.

Together, the government and commercial activities of Washington’s tribes add more than $5.7 billion in value to our state’s economy. They directly employ more than 30,000 people, 70 percent of whom are non-tribal members, generate $722 million in state and local tax revenue, and contribute more than $20 million to address problem gambling.

But this is about more than numbers. It is about opportunity, and trust. Tribal enterprises raise thousands of people out of poverty. And, for the last 30 years, the tribes have built a strong and successful partnership with the state. The compacts negotiated collaboratively with the Washington State Gambling Commission ensure that tribal gaming is safe, constrained and provides positive fiscal impacts for the entire state.

It’s important to be crystal clear about the inflated fiscal impacts of the opposing proposal that allows sports betting everywhere. Its backers irresponsibly and falsely claim that the state would get as much as $50 million annually. But the Office of Financial Management’s (OFM) independent fiscal analysis states that unrestricted sports betting would add a mere $3 million a year to the state’s general fund.

That same OFM analysis shows that opening the door to widespread sports betting will essentially require the creation of a new regulatory agency to oversee a whole new industry that doesn’t currently exist, as opposed to the more limited approach, which simply adds an additional amenity to an already established and highly regulated system.

Moreover, the cost of the negative social consequences created by allowing widespread sports betting would be borne by every Washington State community, and would far exceed $3 million. Simply put, allowing unrestricted, widespread sports wagering is a bad bet for Washington.

Legislators should ensure that gaming continues to be effectively regulated and controlled. Limiting sports betting to tribal casinos will allow adult access to gaming in a responsible fashion, limit the risk of problem gambling, and keep the revenues generated here in Washington. It’s the safer approach to sports betting, and we urge legislators to approve it without delay.