IGT to Join WA Sports Betting Market
Multinational gambling giant International Game Technology (IGT) has revealed its plans to enter the growing Washington state sports betting market. This will be done through a brand-new partnership with Snoqualmie Casino. As part of the deal, IGT is expected to power the casino’s retail and on-site mobile sports betting.
International Game Technology (IGT) is entering the growing Washington state sports betting market via a brand-new partnership with Snoqualmie Casino. ©Free-Photos/Pixabay
Snoqualmie Casino Located Just 28 Miles From Seattle
Multinational slot machine and gambling solutions provider International Game Technology (IGT) has announced its entry into the nascent Washington state sports betting market with an exclusive partnership together with Snoqualmie Casino.
Under the terms of the agreement, IGT will be operating Snoqualmie Casino’s retail and on-site sports betting offerings through its PlaySports turnkey solutions, which includes its world-renowned trading advisory services.
Snoqualmie Casino is located a mere 28 miles outside of Seattle, on Snoqualmie Reservation in Snoqualmie, WA, making it the closest major casino to Washington’s largest city.
The announcement of International Game Technology (IGT)’s partnership with the Snoqualmie Tribe arrives several weeks after the Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) collectively approved sports wagering compact amendments for 15 federally recognized tribes in the state — including the Snoqualmie.
Snoqualmie Began Building Sportsbook in Early June 2021
Commenting on his company’s forays into the Washington state sports betting scene, International Game Technology (IGT)’s PlayDigital senior vice president Enrico Drago sees the news as an opportunity for Snoqualmie Casino to significantly broaden its gaming offerings:
“Extending our sports betting momentum to Washington state with Snoqualmie Casino is another significant milestone for the IGT PlaySports team. IGT looks forward to helping the casino establish a best-in-class sports betting program and expand gaming experiences for its patrons and sports fans through our proven PlaySports technology and services.”– Enrico Drago, Senior Vice President, International Game Technology (IGT)
For its part, Snoqualmie Casino began building its sportsbook offering only at the outset of June 2021, in advance of a planned launch during the late summer. It assured observers that it is currently in the active process of filling positions with new hires, so that its sportsbook offering is fully staffed and able to launch at a moment’s notice.
Snoqualmie Casino’s most recently appointed chief executive, Stanford Le, praised International Game Technology (IGT)’s sports betting technology and services in his statement on the partnership:
“IGT’s leading sports betting platform, products, trading advisory services and on-premise mobile solution will allow us to quickly and easily deploy an exceptional localized sports betting program.”
Le also evoked the casino’s proximity to Seattle and, subsequently, two of the city’s main sports teams’ stadium — the Seahawks and Mariners — as an important opportunity for the casino’s upcoming sportsbook to engage with new sports fans:
“As the closest sportsbook to the Seahawks’ and Mariners’ stadiums, expanding our offering to include sports betting will enable us to further engage sports fans at our casino and complement the popular Seahawks Pit, our immersive Seahawks-branded table game experience.”
Washington Recently Reached Sports Wagering Compact with 11 Tribes
The news of International Game Technology (IGT)’s entrance into Washington state’s burgeoning sports betting market through a partnership with Snoqualmie Casino arrives on the heels of major developments coming from the Washington State Gambling Commission.
At the end of May 2021, the Commission announced that it had finalized a tentative Class III sports wagering compact agreement with 11 indigenous tribes across the state, bringing the total number of tribes with betting compacts up to 15.
The eleven federally recognized tribes which joined the initial four were the Colville, Cowlitz, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lummi, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Shoalwater Bay, Spokane, Squaxin Island, Stillaguamish, and Swinomish.
Thanks to the terms of the compact, all of these aforementioned tribes will soon be able to provide sports betting and mobile bets, along with the usual retail offerings, at their respective physical properties.
Snoqualmie Tribe Secured Its Betting Compact in Early May 2021
By the time the additional 11 federally recognized tribes reached their sports betting compact agreement with the Washington State Gambling Commission, the Snoqualmie Tribe had already come to its own agreement with the state’s regulatory body.
The agreement stipulates that the tribe can open a retail sportsbook within only one of its currently standing gaming locations in Washington, while also being allowed to set up sports betting kiosks anywhere inside the wider gaming complex.
Most crucially — mobile sports betting will also be permitted on-site at Snoqualmie’s properties as part of its sports betting compact with the state. However, as is increasingly the case in such sports betting compacts with Native tribes across the United States, the tribe must employ geolocation technology in order to prove that players are placing bets only while situated on its physical properties.
Furthermore, due to Washington state law, sports betting on any events involving a college team based in Washington, as well as Minor League events, will not be permitted.
Snoqualmie Tribal Chairman Robert de los Angeles thanked the State administrators in a released statement, expressing the tribe’s excitement in further developing its programs and community collaborations:
“On behalf of the Snoqualmie Tribe, we would like to thank the State administrators and casino team members who contributed to the Washington sports wagering regulatory framework. We look forward to providing this exciting new gaming offering to our loyal casino patrons, which will allow us to expand our tribal programs and community partnerships.”– Robert de los Angeles, Tribal Chairman, Snoqualmie Tribe
IGT Recently Expanded Presence in Rhode Island
In early June 2021, the state of Rhode Island’s main legislative body, the Rhode Island General Assembly, decided to pass legislation which will expand the state’s partnerships with gaming providers International Game Technology (IGT) and Bally’s Corporation.
A key feature of the newly-passed legislation will be a joint venture established between IGT and Bally’s, operating as a licensed video lottery terminal (VLT) provider in Rhode Island — and thereby supplying all gambling machines to the Rhode Island State Lottery.
The good news for International Game Technology (IGT) is that it will control a 60% majority stake in the joint venture, while Bally’s will own the remaining 40%. IGT is expected to, however, create at least 100 new job positions in Rhode Island as a result of the many commitments stipulated in the bill.
