Kindred eyes Washington State expansion with Swinomish Casino agreement
Unibet operator expands to seventh US state clinching six-year deal with tribal firm
Kindred Group has agreed a six-year sportsbook partnership with Washington State-based tribal operator the Swinomish Tribe.
The agreement, which includes a five-year right to extend, will see the Unibet sportsbook operator expand into its seventh US state pending licensing and regulatory approvals.
It will see the launch of the Unibet and Swinomish Sportsbook at the tribe’s Swinomish Casino and Lodge, located in Anacortes, Washington.
The Unibet sportsbook currently is available to players in six US states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Iowa, Arizona and Indiana.
Kindred has previously committed to growing its US operations principally in jurisdictions where market conditions “support a sustainable business model”, something which forms part of the group’s approach to ESG.
Kindred Group SVP of North America Manuel Stan cited the launch as an important moment for the operator.
“We are very excited to expand our footprint in the US, and to do so together with the Swinomish tribe. The opening of a Sportsbook Lounge at the Swinomish Casino and Lodge will allow us to offer best in class sports betting experience,” he added.
The launch in Washington makes the Swinomish Tribe just the second tribal operator to launch sports betting in the state, despite there being 24 Indian tribes based there with 30 retail casinos.
The other tribe, the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, opened their sportsbook operations at its Snoqualmie Casino property outside of Seattle in September 2021 in partnership with technology supplier IGT.