Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sportsbook extension planned for Starlight Lounge
After nearly two years of planning, Little Creek Casino Resort is now accepting sports bets, joining several other tribal casinos in Washington. Limited sports wagering at tribal casinos was authorized by House BIll 2638, which Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law in March 2020. Little Creek is planning a formal grand opening of its sportsbook in March.
Sportsbook betting kiosks sit outside the sportsbook in-person betting area to provide another option to place a sports wager.
The Squaxin Island Tribe's Little Creek Casino Resort has launched sports betting before one of the biggest betting weeks of the year.
Little Creek Casino Resort CEO Ramon Nunez said the move complements the casino's position in the market and adds to the excitement of watching sports.
"There's a sense of accomplishment knowing that it's done, and it's started," Nunez told the Shelton-Mason County Journal. "Relief in getting to this point and to be able to finally operate it. There's a lot of anxiety and frustration and a lot of hard work that went into this that required coordination between all of our different departments from HR to operations to facilities to IT. There's a sense of relief to get it going, and it's also exciting because it's a new venture for us as a destination resort."
Gov. Jay Inslee signed House Bill 2638 in March 2020, authorizing sports wagering on a limited basis at tribal casinos. The state Gambling Commission reached a sports wagering compact amendment with the Squaxin Island Tribe on May 13 before the commission unanimously approved the agreements June 12.
The casino joined with International Gaming Technology, one of the largest sports betting vendors in the country.
The sportsbook is set up in the Keno area because a vendor came out and made the recommendation based on the market area and the size of the casino. The casino has larger plans for the sportsbook.
"We do have Starlight Lounge right next to there, and so our plan is to expand the Starlight Lounge, make it into more of a multifunctional sports bar/nightclub," Nunez said. "We'll expand it and remove the second floor and open it up and make it lots of big TVs, a stage. In the daytime, it's a sportsbook and restaurant and as we get to the evening, it will turn toward live entertainment. We have some conceptual floor plans laid out and we're going to start moving forward with that."
International Gaming Technology uses a third party to provide the odds for the sportsbook. Bets can be placed either at the sportsbook desk or by visiting a kiosk right outside the sportsbook. Along with the kiosks, a wall of information sheets gives the latest odds on every sport and a seating area offers the ability to have one game on a big screen or multiple games at once.
The opening of the sportsbook is a soft opening with the grand opening planned for March. Opening the sportsbook now set up the casino to capitalize on one of the biggest weeks in sports betting with the Super Bowl on Sunday.
"We're taking it slow in regard to the number of transactions that we're processing but as soon as the Super Bowl gets closer, we do anticipate that there's going to be a lot of traffic in that area and it will be nice to see what that generates here in our market," Nunez said. "I do anticipate, since we are the only sportsbook open in Thurston and Mason counties, we should get much of that market coming here."
Little Creek Casino joins Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Clearwater Casino in Suquamish and Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights as the tribal casinos that offer sports betting for now. Nunez said he expects a good amount of sportsbook traffic being the only casino in Southwest Washington.
After the Super Bowl ends, the March Madness college basketball tournament will be the next big event for the sportsbook, although due to the law, wagers cannot be placed on collegiate teams within the state of Washington. For example, if the Gonzaga Bulldogs reach the championship game again, no bets would be allowed to be placed on that game. There is also no betting allowed on minor league teams within the state.
Nunez said professional teams in the region generate more bets than other games and the NFL is the most popular sport to bet on.
"That's been the pattern at the
other sportsbooks like Snoqualmie. They get a lot of traffic when the Seahawks play," Nunez said. "A lot of betting on the Seahawks, a lot of betting against the 49ers and so when those local teams come up, there's a lot of betting on them."
Nunez believes it will give the casino a bump in revenue and will attract more people to the casino and resort.
"Typically, people that come in and place sports bets, they're sports bettors and so the trick is to get them to come, provide this nice venue for them to watch the sports and for them to enjoy themselves and relax and have some food and some beverage and we'll get some ancillary sales off of that," Nunez said. "In regard to the impact it will have on the rest of the gaming floor, it will be some but not that much. The thing is we are stragically positioned to be a destination resort and we have the amenities here and we have a golf course, we have a spa, we have a hotel, we have an event center so this will just add to that strategic position that will help differentiate us from our competitors."
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