- Caesars Sportsbook has received licensing to operate retail betting in Washington State.
- Locations will be at the Muckleshoot Casino, Spokane Tribe Casino and its sister property, Chewelah Casino
- Mobile sports betting in Washington State remains ‘TBA’.
The sports betting situation in Washington State remains a convoluted mess from a regulatory standpoint. There’s no sign of mobile regulation in sight, licensing has been limited to the politically juiced in tribal casinos and players can’t bet on college teams in Washington State. The only thing that is going reasonably well is the state’s retail sportsbook scene as all of the big players have opened up shop in Washington.
Several days ago, we reported that FanDuel’s location at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort had opened for business. Today we’ve got another announcement of a new retail sportsbook opening–this time, it’s Caesars Sportsbook. Actually, they will eventually have three sportsbooks in Washington State in one form or another but at this point they’ve got one open. At this point, the sportsbook at the Muckleshoot Casino which is in Auburn, Washington is open for business. The property is less than an hour from downtown Seattle and the Sea-Tac Airport so they should be getting plenty of action.
The press release from Caesars Entertainment is vague about the status of sports betting at the other two properties. The sportsbook at the Spokane Tribe Casino is also definitely open–the properties website says so, plus the opening got some ink in the local newspaper. The Chewelah Casino also indicates that the sportsbook is ‘now open’ but from the sound of it they’ve only got wagering kiosks and not a full service retail betting operation.
This blurb in the Caesars Entertainment press release doesn’t provide much clarity either:
Ahead of the biggest sports betting day of the year, Caesars Sportsbook has partnered with Muckleshoot Casino, Spokane Tribe Casino and its sister property, Chewelah Casino, to provide in-person sports betting services at each property, bringing the Caesars Sportsbook product to customers in both eastern and western parts of the state. Plans for each casino will range from the opening of a full Caesars Sportsbook location to the offering of self-service betting kiosks.
Here’s the description of what you’ll currently find at each property:
The new Caesars Sportsbook at Muckleshoot Casino, the largest gaming facility in the Pacific Northwest, features four live betting windows and nine self-service betting kiosks with plans to also offer sports bettors on-property mobile wagering through the Caesars Sportsbook app, subject to Washington state regulations. Spokane Tribe Casino will also open a Caesars Sportsbook location inside the casino, while Chewelah Casino will offer their guests sports betting via self-service kiosk technology inside its property.
Eric Hession, Co-President of Caesars Digital, is excited to expand his company’s brand into the Pacific Northwest:
“Partnering with three tremendous casinos for our expansion into Washington state is a big moment for Caesars Sportsbook. We’re thrilled to offer Washington sports bettors a chance to get into the action in time for Super Bowl LVI and we can’t wait to see how fans from Seattle-Tacoma to Spokane enjoy the thrill of betting on their favorite teams and events.”
Hopefully, Caesars along with the other big gaming companies entering the state including FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM can start to exert pressure to get players in Washington State a regulatory framework that includes mobile betting. Until then, at least they’ve got it better than they do in Oregon.
