Late Friday afternoon, the Washington State Gambling Commission voted 3-0 to open the legal sports betting rule-making process and agreed to move forward with a request to the state legislature to forgive or extend repayment of a $6 million loan that is part of the new sports betting law.

Neither decision signals any immediate movement on sports betting; rather, gambling commission staff is setting the table so that it is ready to move when the first tribal compact that includes sports betting is complete. That likely won’t happen for another few months, at which point the gambling commission will start the rule-making process in earnest.

Washington lawmakers legalized tribal-only sports betting in March, limited to betting on premises at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.