AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. — Legal sports betting in Washington has been years in the making. Now, sports fans will be able to start betting on their favorite team at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino on Saturday.
After a legislative process to advocate for Washington tribes, Northern Quest will be opening its new Turf Club Sports Book, allowing people to place what will likely be their first sports wagers the state.
Sports betting was legalized in Washington in March 2020, but no physical venues have been licensed to launched it — apart from Northern Quest this year. In June 2021, the Washington State Gambling Commission approved amendments to contracts for 15 Native American tribes in a major step toward allowing them to offer sports betting at their casinos.
Northern Quest Executive Director of Casino operations Kevin Zenishek said they worked with other tribes to bring legal and responsible sports betting to the state.
“Tribes not only have the expertise and infrastructure to effectively operate and regulate sports betting, but they are also second-to-none when it comes to promoting responsible gaming and providing resources for problem gambling issues," Zenishek said.
Starting Saturday, Dec. 4, guests can visit the sports book inside the Northern Quest Casino and enjoy the dozens of state-of-the-art digital screens to watch the big games. Sports fans can also monitor multiple games, matches and horse races at once, according to a press release.
The new sports betting facility at Northern Quest also offers installations for guests to enjoy views of all the sports activities from their recliners. Guests also have access to a full-service bar, nearly two dozen bar-top slot machines and digital screens that list the latest games and matches.
Guests will have two options to place their bets. They will be able to do it through the retail counters that will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on the weekends from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The second option will be using their Kiosks located inside the Turf Club and EPIC sports bar and will be available 24/7.
Online betting is not yet available in the Northern Quest casino, but the tribe plans to bring mobile sports betting online in the spring of 2022, the press release says.
For those guests not familiar with sports betting, the casino will be assisting them.
"Our Team Members look forward to assisting guests with learning the new system, while providing outstanding Kalispel Hospitality along the way," Northern Quest general manager Nick Pierre said.
