Holly Holm, Miss Mescalero Molly Evans, William Hill U.S. executives, Inn of the Gods executives, and members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe attended the grand opening of the sports book at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, powered by William Hill, on July 25 in Mescalero, New Mexico. (Photo by Ari Perilstein/Getty Images for William Hill US)
Illegal sports wagering in the United States totals $150 billion annually, according to estimates from the American Gaming Association. Several Tribal casinos across the nation debuted sportsbooks in 2019, accessing a substantial piece of that revenue.
The movement of Tribes entering the sports wagering market is expected to continue as more than 30 states across the U.S. have either legalized sports betting or are currently considering it after the U.S. Supreme Court, in May 2018, overturned the 1992 federal law — the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.
While the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians lead the way, becoming the first Tribal casino to offer sports betting outside of Nevada, at its Pearl River Resort Casino on August 30, 2018, numerous Tribes have followed in its wake. The Tamaya Nation at Pueblo of Santa Ana also initiated the wave of Tribal casinos opening sportsbooks in New Mexico, ahead of the state legalizing it, on October 16, 2018, at its Santa Ana Star Casino and Hotel in Bernalillo. In 2019, at least four more sportsbooks went live at Tribally owned casinos in New Mexico.
Below is a roundup of a few Tribal casinos that launched sportsbooks this year.
Thunder Race Book
The Pueblo of Pojoaque-owned Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort in Santa Fe launched New Mexico’s second sports betting operation in March. Thunder Race Book made the Pueblo of Pojoaque the first Tribe to offer sports betting in addition to wagering on races.
The Sportsbook at the Inn
Patrons of the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino in New Mexico can place wagers on professional sports, while watching games play on twelve 43-inch television screens.
The Mescalero Apache Tribe tapped the U.S. arm of William Hill, a betting and gaming company founded in 1934 in the UK, to launch its sportsbook in July 2019, ahead of the NFL season. This marked William Hill’s first Tribal agreement outside of Nevada.
The Lounge with Caesars Sports
The Oneida Indian Nation launched three sportsbooks this year through a partnership with Caesars Entertainment. After debuting The Lounge with Caesars Sports at Turning Stone Resort Casino and Point Place Casino in New York on August 1, the Tribe opened its third sportsbook and the largest sportsbook in the state at nearly 9,000-square feet: The Lounge with Caesars Sports at Yellow Brick Road Casino, designed to accommodate more than 250 sports fans. The third sportsbook venue started taking bets in September, just in time for the NFL season opener.
Chinook Winds Casino Sports Wagering Lounge
Visitors started placing an array of bets on professional and collegiate sports on August 27th at Chinook Winds Casino Sports Wagering Lounge — Oregon’s first sportsbook. While the Oregon Lottery has launched Scoreboard, a sports betting app, the Siletz Tribe-owned Chinook Winds offers betting on collegiate sports. The lottery app does not include NCAA betting.
The Book
Route 66 Casino Hotel, owned by the Pueblo of Laguna and Laguna Development Corporation,
started full-service sports betting at The Book in September. The 13,000-square-foot space features 74 televisions and a bar and grill. The project cost $3.4 million to complete.
Saracen Casino Annex
While the Quapaw Nation doesn’t offer sports betting at its casinos in Oklahoma, patrons can place bets on sporting events at its Saracen Casino Annex in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. On September 30th, the Arkansas Racing Commission approved sports betting at Saracen Casino Resort, and by October 1st at 8 a.m., the casino annex — a smaller version of the forthcoming $350 million Saracen Casino Resort — was taking wagers.
Unibet Sportsbook
The Unibet Sportsbook at Mohegan Sun Pocono soft-launched in September, becoming the 11th Pennsylvania retail sportsbook to open. More than $2 million was wagered in sports bets at the venue owned by the Mohegan Tribe in October, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The sportsbook retained $305,697 in sports wagering revenue that month after paying out winners.
In December, the casino launched online sports betting across Pennsylvania, accessible on mobile apps found at pa.unibet.com and on mohegansunpocono.com. Mohegan Sun Pocono’s expansion into the digital market stands to up-level its audience significantly. To put things into perspective, across Pennsylvania, mobile sports betting accounted for more than 82% of all wagers placed in October. A total of 7 online sports wagering sites and 12 retail sportsbooks exist in the state.
Sports Book at Isleta Resort & Casino
Patrons can place bets on the professional leagues and collegiate teams (including the local ones) at the Sports Book at Isleta Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While the Pueblo of Isleta-owned resort soft-opened its sportsbook in August through a temporary location on the casino floor, it was November 4th when the casino debuted its full-time sports betting facility — complete with 50 televisions, a lounge area, four betting kiosks, a full-service bar, and a new food court next door. The sportsbook, entertainment and food court build-out collectively cost $4.5 million.
Sports Lounge
At Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino on December 13th, Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. put down $40 for the Buffalo Bills to beat the Steelers. Armstrong kicked off a string of wagers placed the day sports betting debuted at the Buffalo, New York-based casino. The Sports Lounge at Buffalo prefaces Seneca Gaming Corp.’s plans to make sportsbooks available at its Niagara Falls and Salamanca casinos in New York State in December 2019.
