Session Title
Session 1-2-C: Tribal Discussions
Presentation Type
Event
Location
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Start Date
28-5-2019 11:00 AM
End Date
28-5-2019 12:25 PM
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Gaming and Casino Operations Management | Gaming Law | Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law | Political Science | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Law and Legal Theory | State and Local Government Law
Abstract
Abstract
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision In Murphy v. NCAA (2018) permitting states to legalize sports wagering, the biggest brand-names in gaming worldwide were positioning themselves to capitalize on the fan base for America’s most recognizable sports leagues.
Sports wagering already is up and running in five states; analysts predict that more than half the states will legalize it within five years. Many will be among the 29 states that currently have casinos owned and operated by American Indian tribes in this $32.4 billion market segment.
There is no firm sense and little data pointing to how many of the 242 gaming tribes operating some 500 casinos will seek to open sports books, or on what basis they will make a decision. Yet the implications are critical to any tribal government responsible for the welfare of its people.
In this paper, we posit that a tribe should carefully evaluate three main barriers to entry into the sports betting market: legality and regulation; feasibility and profitability; and market and competition. We identify each barrier and address threshold strategies for overcoming it.
Our analysis is useful for tribes, states, or commercial operators considering whether to get in the game.
Impact
Full-scale legalized sports wagering at last is coming to the United States. In disrupted industries, first movers have the competitive advantage. Who will take the lead in a post-PASPA world: states, tribes, or commercial operators? How should tribes make the judgment whether to get in the game? And how will the prospects for sports betting impact the $32 billion Indian gaming industry? The answers to these questions are of critical significance in determining the relative successes and failures of the next major wave of legalized gaming in the U.S.
Keywords
Sports betting, PASPA, IGRA, Indian gaming, tribal casinos, American Indian
Funding Sources
No external funding sources other than the University of North Dakota's ongoing support for our research in the form of our salaried faculty positions.
Competing Interests
None.
Included in
Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Gaming and Casino Operations Management Commons, Gaming Law Commons, Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law Commons, Political Science Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Public Law and Legal Theory Commons, State and Local Government Law Commons
SPORTS BETTING AND INDIAN GAMING: OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO MARKET ENTRY AND INTEGRATION OF SPORTS BOOKS INTO TRIBAL CASINOS
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Abstract
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision In Murphy v. NCAA (2018) permitting states to legalize sports wagering, the biggest brand-names in gaming worldwide were positioning themselves to capitalize on the fan base for America’s most recognizable sports leagues.
Sports wagering already is up and running in five states; analysts predict that more than half the states will legalize it within five years. Many will be among the 29 states that currently have casinos owned and operated by American Indian tribes in this $32.4 billion market segment.
There is no firm sense and little data pointing to how many of the 242 gaming tribes operating some 500 casinos will seek to open sports books, or on what basis they will make a decision. Yet the implications are critical to any tribal government responsible for the welfare of its people.
In this paper, we posit that a tribe should carefully evaluate three main barriers to entry into the sports betting market: legality and regulation; feasibility and profitability; and market and competition. We identify each barrier and address threshold strategies for overcoming it.
Our analysis is useful for tribes, states, or commercial operators considering whether to get in the game.
Impact
Full-scale legalized sports wagering at last is coming to the United States. In disrupted industries, first movers have the competitive advantage. Who will take the lead in a post-PASPA world: states, tribes, or commercial operators? How should tribes make the judgment whether to get in the game? And how will the prospects for sports betting impact the $32 billion Indian gaming industry? The answers to these questions are of critical significance in determining the relative successes and failures of the next major wave of legalized gaming in the U.S.
Comments
Looking forward to our fourth International! Thanks for your consideration!