Tribal casinos will not be left behind in the gaming industry’s push for expanded sports betting in the U.S.
That’s the message the American Gaming Association sent to gaming tribes Thursday at the National Indian Gaming Association’s mid-year conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
“Working with NIGA and the tribal community is a top priority for AGA as we seek an end to the federal ban that’s driving a $150 billion illegal sports betting market,” said Sara Slane, senior vice president of public affairs at AGA.
“NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. and other tribal leaders have been instrumental in the fight to overturn this harmful piece of legislation and we look forward to our continued work together on this important initiative and many others,” she continued.
Last July, NIGA joined the American Sports Betting Coalition, which is pushing to overturn the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act to allow for the expansion of sports betting at the state level.
The announcement, however, stirred up tension within the tribal gaming community as questions arose of how sports betting would square vis-à-vis tribal-state compacts, many of which grant tribes exclusive rights to offer gambling.
Stevens subsequently clarified the decision to join ASBC, emphasizing that the move was not intended to be an endorsement of PASPA repeal, but rather to ensure that tribes have a seat at the table and to monitor the discussions that were taking place.
The AGA has also since amended their talking points, and the American Sports Betting Coalition’s website, to emphasize that sovereign tribal governments and state governments have an equal role to play in the future of sports betting in the country.
