Bill in Arizona restricts sports betting to tribal gaming facilities

Thursday, January 24, 2019  

Tribes would gain exclusive rights to offer sports betting if a new bill in Arizona becomes law.

Republican lawmakers introduced SB 1158 in the Senate on Wednesday. It states that "No other person or entity may operate sports betting" except for tribes with Class III gaming compacts.

By limiting sports betting to tribes, the bill opens the door for the state to seek more revenues from tribes. Gov. Steve Ducey (R) already has plans to do that during upcoming compact negotiations, The Arizona Mirror reported.

Tribes have already shared more than $1.45 billion of their revenues since 2004. Year-to-year figures have been showing consistent gains as well.

Elsewhere, tribes have not rushed into sports betting in the wake of a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that paved the way for the industry. The Pueblo of Santa Ana in New Mexico and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in Mississippi are among the few with live operations. The Oneida Nation has plans to do the same in New York.

In Minnesota, tribes are outright opposed to sports betting. Their stance could stall efforts to legalize such waters in the state.

“The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association continues to oppose the expansion of off-reservation gambling, including the legalization of sports betting,” Charles Vig, who serves as chair of the organization. said in a letter to state leaders, MinnPost reported.

The Supreme Court's May 2018 decision did not legalize sports betting. Instead, it struck down a federal law that had been previously interpreted as a ban on such wagers at the state level.

Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribes can offer the same types of games that are legal in a state. Depending on the circumstances, tribes may need to update their Class III gaming compacts or take other steps to offer sports betting.

Arizona Bill Would Legalize Tribal Sports Betting (Sports Handle January 24, 2019)
Sports Betting Bill Roundup: New Legislation Pops Up in Arizona, Hawaii (Legal Sports Report January 24, 2019)
Long road ahead for sports betting in Minnesota (SBC Americas January 24, 2019)
MN Tribes Give Sport Betting a Thumbs Down (GamingPost.ca January 24, 2019)
Pearl River Resort Plans to Launch First Mississippi Sports Betting App (Legal Sports Report January 22, 2019)
Legalized sports betting may be coming to Minnesota. Just not anytime soon. (MinnPost January 17, 2019)

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