Muckleshoot Tribe invests in social betting game
Federally recognised Washington State tribe makes first move into online gaming.
The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of Washington State has entered into an equity partnership with social betting game Bookie Mania.
Bookie Mania was founded by ex-Chiligaming director Robin Malholtra and is set to go live on Facebook in September, with other platforms and languages to follow.
It will act as a social betting exchange, allowing players to buy virtual currency so that wagers can be made between friends on anything from sporting events to the weather.
The deal “ the financial details of which are yet to be disclosed “ is the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s first venture into online gaming and could signal its intent to explore real-money gambling opportunities should Washington State pass the required regulation. The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is a federally recognised tribe which owns the Muckleshoot casino in Washington State.
Malhotra said of the deal: “Bookie Mania is thrilled to have entered into an agreement with Muckleshoot Indian Tribe for a share in our business. It provides our business with more than just investment but also a deep relationship with this resourceful Tribe, its operation and its people.”
The Washington state legislature passed a bill that outlawed online gaming and poker in 2006 – a law that was upheld four years later. Since then online gaming firms have pulled out of the juristiction, including Pokerstars which ceased taking bets in October 2010 and Full Tilt just one month later.
Several other US tribes have entered into deals with online gaming firms this year as they begin to shape up for a regulated online gambling market.
Bwin.party announced a 10-year B2B deal with the United Auburn Indian Tribe Community (UAIC) in May to offer online poker services in California “if suitable intrastate legislation is enacted in the state”, while gaming technology provider GTECH G2 has also partnered with two Indian tribes “ Barona in California and Seneca Niagara in New York State “ to launch free play casino sites.
Earlier this month Boyd Gaming struck a deal with the Wilton Rancheria tribe in California. It is the first time the company has made plans to operate in the state and represents a vital in-road into the state where the online gambling market could be worth $5.5bn by year five of operations, according to H2 Gambling Capital.
Meanwhile Native American groups have moved to protect their interests ahead of state-by-state egaming regulation by introducing a draft tribal gaming bill at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) last week. The Tribal Online Gaming Act of 2012 is designed to help ensure tribes are well positioned to benefit from legal online gambling in the US, without compromising their revenues and sovereignty and calls on federal government to implement nationwide laws concerning the regulation of online gaming.