February 15, 2021, 5:53 pm ·
Washington State made its latest attempt to expand gambling policy to private card rooms and racetracks in the hopes of making the state more competitive when it came to revenue.
During the State Senate Committee hearing last week, 1,888 people attended online. 1,041 of them opposed a bill on the matter. There were 17 lobbyists, who tuned in on behalf of 14 of the 29 federally recognised native American tribes.
The tribes currently have powers to run sports betting and gambling businesses and they are not willing to relent their grasp of the exclusive compact with the state.
Gambling has long been the tribes’