The Path Toward Sports Betting for Native American Tribes

If you read the news, it appears that the entire United States gaming industry is obsessed with sports betting.  Hungry for new product offerings and approaches, operators see the potential that sports betting has to produce new revenue streams.  Sports betting and iGaming are very popular with players and largely profitable for operators across the world.  In the United Kingdom, the remote sector accounts for approximately 35% of total gross gambling yield, and 41% of those revenues are generated by betting on sports, per UK Gambling Commission statistics.  “Legalized sports betting in the U.S. is expected to increase the revenue potential of iGaming, and therefore generate more revenue where it is permitted online”, according to Paul Girvan a longtime gaming and iGaming industry expert.  “This equals greater potential tax revenue and therefore more incentive for States to permit online gaming with sports betting as a component.”

But what about States with gaming on Native American lands?  According to the National Indian Gaming Commission’s annual reporting, in 2017 there were 494 tribal gaming facilities in 29 states across the U.S., with Native American properties generating over half of all gaming revenues in the country.  Therefore, no discussion of sports betting or iGaming in the U.S. is complete without considering tribal facilities.  For tribes and those doing business with tribes, the process for bringing about sports betting will be neither quick nor easy, but the result could be increases in visitation and revenues at bricks and mortar facilities as well as increased engagement and revenues for online operations.

Suzanne Leckert’s full article published in iGaming Business North America can be accessed with this link, by downloading the PDF below, or with a subscription to iGaming Business.

A Long and Winding Road.iGaming Business NA. SLeckert.Oct2018