Sports gambling bill passes Washington state House

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A bill allowing sports gambling in Washington's tribal casinos was approved by the state House.

The 83-14 Thursday night vote on House Bill 2638 came just two days after a House Appropriations Committee agreed to forward it onward. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, said Tuesday he’d hoped to get a floor vote soon. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn March 12.

The Seattle Times reports that state lawmakers had worried that opposition from Nevada-based Maverick Gaming LLC — which wanted sports gambling extended beyond tribal casinos to card rooms it controls — would slow momentum to getting the bill passed before the end of this year’s session and delay further proceedings until next January.

Sports betting is expanding in the United States following a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed for it to be legalized in every state. Sports wagers can now be made legally in more than a dozen states, including Oregon.