Senate Business, Financial Services, & Trade Committee Work Session, January 22, 2025

Summary

Slides for the Senate Business, Financial Services, & Trade Committee Work Session on January 22, 2025, stating the mission to protect the public by ensuring that gambling is legal and honest. The slides say the agency is self-funded through license fees and tribal reimbursements, with a $20 million annual budget and 114 FTEs, and give a net gambling receipts total of $3.95 billion for FY24. They describe operational units, gambling-related offenses, and problem gambling signage and a self-exclusion program. Agency request legislation SB 5196 is a Public Records Act exemption for proprietary financial and security information of tribal partners and licensees.

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Full text

Senate Business, Financial
Services, & Trade Committee
Work Session
January 22, 2025
PROTECT THE PUBLIC BY ENSURING THAT GAMBLING IS LEGAL AND HONEST.
Mission
 Protect the public by ensuring gambling is legal and honest
 Detect and remove the criminal element
 Maintain a regulatory environment that promotes compliance
Accredited Limited Law
Enforcement Agency
Funding
     Self-funded through:
          •   License fees
          •   Tribal reimbursements


     $20 million annual budget

     114 FTEs
Licensees
                                       FY 2018                      FY 2023
                               Active      Net Receipts     Active     Net Receipts
                              Licenses                     Licenses
                          Charitable and nonprofit gambling
      Raffles                   966           $8,547,888     928         $13,940,535
      Bingo                     247           $6,665,108     231         $5,336,145
      Punch board/Pull-tabs     197          $10,794,455     181        $13,104,365
      Card Room                 90               $84,346     74               $38,087
      Amusement Games           30               $85,404     19               $60,391
      TOTAL                    1,530         $26,054,192    1,433       $32,479,523
                                 Commercial licenses
      Punch board/Pull-tabs     885          $63,191,924     731         $88,020,802
      Card Rooms                209        $249,183,786      143        $272,572,365
      Amusement Games           78           $35,817,049     90          $76,693,927
      TOTAL                    1,172       $338,192,759      964        $437,287,094
Tribal Gaming -
29 Federally Recognized Tribes
 First compact – August 1991

 23 Tribes operate 29 casinos

 18 Tribes operate Sports Wagering




                           THIS IS A NEW SECTION
Net Gambling Receipts: FY24
     Total: $3.95 billion




        Data Sources: Mandatory Quarterly Filings (Nonprofit, Commercial), Horse Racing Commission,
        Washington’s Lottery, Tribal net receipts (estimated, class III only, as authorized in Tribal Compacts)
Operational Units & Roles
   Licensing        Regulation      Criminal             Electronic Gaming     Tribal Gaming
                                    Enforcement          Lab
   •Background      •Agents across •Working              •Evaluate new         •Cooperative
    checks           WA              undercover           technology            regulatory
   •Source of funds •Compliance     •Long-term           •Investigations        partnership
   •Collect fees     checks          investigations      •Risk Analysis        •Tribal relations
   •Process         •Audit          •Work with local,    •Training             •Compact negotiation
    licenses         licensees       state and federal   •Inspections           process
                    •Criminal        law enforcement     •Internal controls    •Criminal
                     investigations •Train other         •Security standards    investigations
                                     agencies             & practice
                                    •Investigations
                                     criminal
                                     complaints
                                     connected with
                                     gambling
Gambling-Related Offenses
 Cheating & Fraud

 Theft & identity theft

 Money laundering & structuring

 Bookmaking

 Illegal card games/gambling machines
Gambling-Related Offenses
• Loan sharking
• Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults
• Internet gambling
• Animal fighting
• Prostitution
Example: Illegal Horse Racing
Problem Gambling – RCW 9.46.071


    • Signage Requirements

    • Statewide Self-Exclusion
     Program
Agency Request Legislation – SB 5196
  Public Records Act Exemption

  • We want to keep proprietary financial and security information of our Tribal partners
    and licensees secure

  • Clearly identify the exempt proprietary financial and security information to decrease
    the risk of targeted attacks on tribal partners and commercial and nonprofit licensees.

  • This is a public safety issue – this legislation protects licensees and tribal gaming
    facilities by limiting their exposure to fraud, robberies and cyber security attacks.
Questions

  Tina Griffin, Executive Director, tina.griffin@wsgc.wa.gov

  Tricia Gullion, Legislative & Rules Manager, tricia.gullion@wsgc.wa.gov


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