Federal Bill Drawn Up For Mobile Sportsbooks On Tribal Grounds

• House Resolution 4308 is a piece of Federal legislation that was introduced to the U.S. Congress on July 1.
• H.R. 4308 would like to change the language of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to allow for mobile sports betting on tribal grounds without any pushback that tribes could presently run into.
• There is no word if Congress is even interested in this bill or how long it will take for it to be fully heard and decided upon.

WASHINGTON – It’s no big secret that sports betting regulated markets are making their way across the United States, so it’s only natural that a bill asking to have regulated mobile sportsbooks be a universal offering on tribal grounds be filed. On July 1, House Resolution 4308 opened in the House as a bipartisan measure created by Representative Lou Correa of California and Representative John Katko of New York.

What Is HR 4308?

The purpose of HR 4308 is simplistic in nature. More and more tribes across the nation are expanding their Tribal Gaming Compacts to include sports betting. However, when it comes to the aspect of mobile sports wagering platforms, there are some barriers by the use of particular language in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) that they have run into. This measure wants to clear up any issues like these.

HR 4308 wants to remove any problem as it pertains to the Tribes offering mobile sports betting applications on their land and elsewhere. The way they would go about online sports gaming would be dependent upon each individual Tribal Gaming Compact and what was agreed upon by both the tribe and the state where the sportsbooks are opened. The IGRA has its own rules that must be abided by when doing any type of gaming expansion involving the tribes of the United States.

Why Did New York & California Combine Forces For This Bill?

New York’s sportsbook establishments are all at tribal casinos upstate. They are currently in a transitional phase and adding a mobile sports gaming market to their existing sportsbooks. California has just been greenlit to put regulated sports betting on its November 2022 ballot for residents to vote on the matter. Should they receive the majority vote, the industry is slated to be a tribal one.

Therefore, both New York sports betting and California sports betting have major stakes in getting mobile sportsbook capabilities to remove restrictions from applications being used on tribal lands. This would also help the overall profiting of tribal gambling establishments across the country. There is no word yet as to how long this matter will take to discuss or if Congress is even interested in changing the IGRA as it’s been written and working the same way for years.

However, this is definitely a step in the right direction for regulated sports gaming in the U.S. as the industry continues to surge in popularity nationwide.