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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 2018)
SPORTS Thursday, December 27, 2018 East Oregonian B3 Indian casinos across U.S. wary of betting on sports books By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Two dozen large-screen TVs showing football and other sports line the walls. There’s beer on tap, bar top seating and leather chairs. Chicken wings are on the menu. And at this American Indian casino in the heart of col- lege-football mad Missis- sippi, you can legally bet on the games. The sports book owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is the fi rst to open on tribal lands out- side of Nevada following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, a no-brainer business decision given the sports fans among its gam- bling clientele. “We are basically two hours from Tuscaloosa, Ala- bama, and then, we are just an hour from Mississippi State. We have Ole Miss just to the north of that, and we have Southern Miss — they’re not SEC, but they are a player. We are not that far from Louisiana,” said Neal Atkinson, the tribe’s director of gaming. The book at Pearl River Resort is packed every col- lege football Saturday, but remains an outlier months after the high court opened the door for expanded sports gambling across the United States by striking down a federal ban. Tribes enthusiastically welcomed the decision in May but since then, the regulatory challenges and low-margin nature of the business have sunk in. Few Indian casinos have an envi- able location like the Choc- taw and many need state approval to add sports bet- ting to their offerings. Indian casinos started small three decades ago, but they have grown to be an annual $32.4 billion seg- ment of the U.S. gambling industry. The roughly 475 casinos operated by nearly 240 tribes create jobs for tribal members and prof- its that help pay a variety of services, including health care and housing. Some casinos only have games like bingo or pull tabs that don’t need state approval. But the majority of them also have state-au- thorized slot machines, blackjack and other table games, according to the AP Photo/Butch Dill New Orleans Saints fans celebrates in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in New Orleans on Sunday. Saints, Rams and Bears highlight top 3 in AP Pro32 poll along the frosty shores of Lake Michigan,” said Ira Kaufman of Fox 13 in Tampa. The next three teams in the poll are all from the AFC. Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers, tied at 11-4 in the AFC West, slipped to No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. The Chiefs dropped a spot after their 38-31 loss at Seattle on Sunday night, and the Chargers fell from No. 2 after losing to Bal- timore on Saturday night. The New England Patriots, who won the AFC East for the 10th consecutive year, moved up a spot to No. 6. Seattle climbed three spots to No. 7 after clinch- ing a playoff berth with a win over the Chiefs. The Houston Texans slipped two spots to No. 8 after losing to the Phil- adelphia Eagles 32-30 on Jake Elliott’s fi eld goal as time expired Sunday. However, the fi rst-place Texans clinched a playoff spot later in the day when the Steelers lost. Houston will clinch the AFC South with a win over the Jaguars. The surging Balti- more Ravens jumped three spots to No. 9. The Ravens (9-6) lead the AFC North by a half- game over Pittsburgh. The Ravens host Cleve- land on Sunday and will take the division with a win. “Who wants to play them?,” asked Fox Sports’ John Czarnecki of the Ravens, who were 4-5 entering their bye week and have won fi ve of six overall. By SIMMI BUTTAR Associated Press AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File In this Dec. 18, 2018, fi le photo, a woman walks by the Time Out Lounge at the Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia, Miss. National Indian Gaming Commission. Many tribes share a portion of casino prof- its with state governments in exchange for exclu- sive rights to conduct gam- bling operations within their states. To offer sports betting, the majority of tribes would have to renegotiate com- pacts that vary widely in cycles and the issues cov- ered, though some tribes believe their existing agree- ments already give them the right to offer the new wagers. “There’s a broad spec- trum in Indian Country cov- ering two extremes: Tribal nations that would not ben- efi t at all, and on the other end, tribal nations that would signifi cantly benefi t,” com- mission chairman Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri said. “Those are largely business decisions that each tribe will have to make given its own economic landscape and its unique market realities.” Some federal lawmakers have also proposed regulat- ing sports gambling more widely, adding yet another layer to a complex debate already involving com- mercial casinos and lot- teries, plus sports leagues themselves. So far, only the Santa Ana Pueblo near Albuquerque, New Mexico, has followed the Choctaw’s effort into sports gambling. Neither tribe was required to obtain additional state approvals. Contrary to popular belief, sports betting is a low- profi t business that requires highly skilled employees. In Nevada, sportsbooks last year contributed only 2.4 percent of the gambling rev- enue of casinos statewide — dwarfed by the proceeds from table games and slots. The limited payoff has tribal casinos balancing the allure of a Las Vegas-style amen- ity with the risks of opening compacts for negotiations. “Tribal leadership is extremely protective of what they have because it’s meant so much to us, and there’s always a risk of upsetting the apple cart,” Washington State Gambling Commis- sion member Chris Stearns said. “Is this going to help us? Is this going to hurt us? That’s really at the heart of why you see Indian tribes gently venturing into sports betting. ... In a lot of states, tribes write a check out to the state in exchange for exclu- sivity. So, any time there’s a new gambling product, and you ask the state to authorize it, there is a risk the state will say ‘Sure, but it is going to cost you.’” The only sports book in New Mexico, inside the Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, began taking wagers in October. It offers bets on professional and college sports, but not for games involving two public in-state universities. In Washington state, all casinos are tribally operated. Changing the state’s laws to allow betting on sports would require a 60 percent supermajority vote in the legislature or a ballot initia- tive. Only then could sports betting be added to a trib- al-state compact. In California, where tribes have exclusivity on casino-style gambling, vot- ers would have to approve a change to the state constitution. Casinos are operated on and off reservations in South Dakota. Before the Flan- dreau Santee Sioux Tribe can try to to edge out its nearest competition across the state line in Iowa, South Dakota’s constitution will have to be amended through a public vote. The legislature could choose to put the question before voters or supporters could gather enough signa- tures to add the measure to the 2020 ballot. If the mea- sure passes, it would open the opportunity for tribes to negotiate their compacts with the state. Tribal councilman Kenny Weston said a sports book could attract new patrons who may also choose to play games already offered and spend nights at the hotel for big sporting events, like MMA fi ghts. “Normally, with the brick-and-mortar casino like we have, we attract a lot of older crowds and retired people,” Weston said. “I think with sports betting we can bring a different age demographic and differ- ent people ... and have the opportunity to do the same that they do in Vegas.” NEW YORK — The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through the Big Easy. Though the Saints’ path to get to Atlanta could be challenging: The top three teams in the lat- est AP Pro32 poll are all from the NFC. The Saints received all 12 fi rst-place votes for 384 points in ballot- ing Wednesday by media members who regularly cover the NFL. New Orleans (13-2) clinched the top seed in the NFC after Sunday’s 31-28 win over Pitts- burgh. The previous time New Orleans had the top seed in the NFC was 2009 when it reached and won the Super Bowl. “The news is all good for the Saints: They clinch home-fi eld advan- tage throughout the NFC playoffs with a thrilling win over the Steelers, and (quarterback) Drew Brees has a chance to win his fi rst-ever regular-season MVP award,” Newsday’s Bob Glauber said. The NFC West cham- pion Los Angeles Rams jumped three places to No. 2 after dominating Arizona without star run- ning back Todd Gurley. The Rams can clinch a fi rst-round bye with a win against San Francisco in the regular-season fi nale. NFC North champion Chicago Bears inched up a spot to No. 3. “With a swarm- ing defense and a solid ground game, the Bears appear poised to make some waves in January EASTERN OREGON marketplace Place classified ads online at www.easternoregonmarketplace.com or call 1-800-962-2819 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours, leave a voicemail and we’ll confirm your ad the next business day. Email us at classifieds@ eastoregonian.com or fax: 541-278-2680 East Oregonian Deadline is 3 p.m. the day before publication 211 S.E. Byers Ave. 333 E. Main St. We accept: Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston, OR 97838 See www.easternoregonmarketplace.com for classified ads from all over Eastern Oregon EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN 104 Special Notices 104 Special Notices PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD ON THE FIRST DAY OF PUBLICATION. While we are happy to make any necessary corrections, we can not be responsible for errors appearing for mul- tiple days. Thank you! 184 Personals CLASSIFIED LINE AD DEADLINES Contact Dayle or Grace at classifieds@eastoregonian.com East Oregonian 3pm the day prior to publication Hermiston Herald 10am Tuesday 1-800-962-2819 classifieds@eastoregonian.com IT WILL SELL EMAIL : CLASSIFIEDS @ EASTOREGONIAN . 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