Despite the State of Wyoming not having any legislation that permits sports betting, the Northern Arapaho tribe has announced plans to include sports betting to the list of its gambling activities.
In a press release by the Northern Arapaho Business Council (NABC), tribal officials made this announcement. The purpose of this move, according to the NABC, is to enhance the gaming experience at the Tribes’ facilities, generate more revenue, and ultimately fund crucial programs that will greatly benefit the Arapaho people.
State Approval?
Wyoming is one of the states in the USA that has no interest in regulating sports betting activities in the state. This is why it is a big deal if the Arapaho Tribe can pull off these additions. It should not be a difficult endeavor though, as the tribe conducts gaming authorization with the US Department of Interior, and therefore will not need any formal approval from the state.
Steps are already being taken by the tribal gaming official to allow betting on sporting events. Success on this front will have sports betting available to bettors in all three Arapaho Tribe-owned casinos, including the Wind River Casino in Central Wyoming.
2018 saw the end of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which stopped the federal government from interfering with sports betting. In response, several other casinos have gone on to offer sports betting in their establishments. The fall of this Act in some cases has led the state to intervene and stop casinos from offering sports betting, while some other cases have seen the tribes successfully offer sports betting without any push back.
One element that will work in favor of the Arapaho tribe is that they have been offered a Class III license, which according to the US Code of Federal Regulations, covers all forms of gambling activities including sports betting.
The tribe is also very confident that they do not need state approval to offer sports betting, as they made clear during the announcement.
Availability of Mobile Gaming
The Arapaho Tribe does not look like they are interested in offering sports betting on mobile in the foreseeable future. If they are successful in launching sports betting, all interested individuals will have to make their way down to one of the on-site structures. Currently, no tribal group has attempted to launch mobile betting activity without seeking approval from the state.
The legislation was passed last year to the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, granting tribal groups permission to offer mobile betting with the condition that their facilities house the servers to be used. However, we have yet to see even one casino that has taken up this offer to run their online sports betting.
That said, enjoying sports betting after the Arapaho tribe successfully launches will have to happen at one of the physical casinos. Mobile sports betting is not in the conversation yet, but we will keep our ears open just in case they decide to surprise us.
