GLI certifies first tribal sportsbook in US

11 September 2018

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians made history on Thursday, 31 August 2018, at 10 a.m. CST as the new sportsbook at their Pearl River Resort became the first tribal sports book in the U.S. to open with a system that is fully certified as compliant with Gaming Laboratories International’s (GLI) landmark GLI-33 Event-Wagering Technical Standard.

At the request of the Choctaw Gaming Commission, GLI assisted the Commission’s technical and auditing staffs with on-site support to verify the internal controls and installation configuration of IGT’s “Margin-Maker” event-wagering system to GLI-33 standards. This helped ensure a flawless go-live of the sportsbook’s system from the moment the first wager was placed.

Additionally, sports-wagering experts from GLI University provided two and a half days of on-site classroom-style training on the various aspects of sports wagering, from a technical, regulatory, and operational perspective.

“The Choctaw Gaming Commission took a very pragmatic approach to sports wagering,” stated Mackenzie Haugh, GLI’s Director of Engineering. “They first ensured that their commissioners, auditors, and technical staff were familiar with the many aspects of sports wagering such as events and the various types of bets, trading platforms and live feeds, reporting and auditing, and change management to name a few. This allowed them to take an educated, risk-based approach in selecting which aspects of their system should be regulated and audited while to not stifle the needs of operations on such an organic system. And through GLI University training and on-site technical teams leading up to go-live, GLI was happy and excited to help.”

GLI dedicated a team of experts to developing GLI-33 as the industry’s first event-wagering technical standard, and that working group spent approximately a year formulating GLI-33. The need for the standard became apparent after GLI received numerous requests from U.S. state regulators, sports betting operators, sovereign tribal nations, lotteries, and industry suppliers around the world to establish a clear and cohesive technical standard for sports/event wagering systems. The desire was to establish a standard to help them regulate and/or implement legal wagering on sports and other events.

Upon the official release of GLI-33, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians was one of several regulatory bodies to immediately adopt the new standard. Prior to the release of GLI-33, which is part of the GLI Standards Series, a draft standard had undergone extensive industry review and comment from gaming and lottery regulators, industry suppliers, industry operators and industry trade associations.

Mississippi followed Delaware and New Jersey as the third state to legalize and launch sports betting after the Supreme Court’s historic ruling overturning the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA); allowing for the expansion of sports-wagering opportunities throughout the country.

Related Links
Ranked Online Sportsbooks
Choctaw Gaming Commission
GLI Gaming Vendor Information

Featured Vendors
Shenzhen ZhengYuanTai Technology Co., Ltd.
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference
Shenzhen ZhengYuanTai Technology Co., Ltd.
14 years experienced gaming display manufacturer: open frame, curved, and halo monitors
Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) Conference
The biggest little show in Indian gaming! Save the date: July 14-16, 2025 Tulsa, Oklahoma
Imagine This
Casino Schedule Ease
Imagine This
Imagine This #1 Source for Player Gifts. Over $50 million in stock ready to ship! Let us serve you!
Casino Schedule Ease
Full Featured & customizable for the complex scheduling needs of table games & other casino depts
Casino City Press
Rymax Marketing Services, Inc.
Casino City Press
A leading publisher and distributor of casino and gaming business data and market research reports.
Rymax Marketing Services, Inc.
Leader in creating award winning player & employee loyalty programs & events proven to increase ROI
Betson Imperial Parts & Service
Sunkist Graphics, Inc.
Betson Imperial Parts & Service
Your one stop shop for all your gaming and OEM needs!
Sunkist Graphics, Inc.
Specializing in the creation of best-of-breed gaming graphics - slot glass, sign faces, and more
Texas Slots & Gaming
AmericanChecked
Texas Slots & Gaming
Wholesale gaming reimagined. Texas Slots & Gaming is your sustainable gaming partner.
AmericanChecked
Background checks for the gaming industry with key & non-key packages & fingerprinting solutions
Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
Players Pal
Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
The largest gathering of global, commercial and tribal gaming professionals in North America.
Players Pal
Revolutionize the way you connect with your casino players with the Players Pal mobile app
Slot Machines Unlimited
Regulatory Management Counselors, PC
Slot Machines Unlimited
Exporter of IGT, Williams, AVP, Trimline, Aristocrat, Konami, Bally, & parts over 20 yrs experience
Regulatory Management Counselors, PC
Over 45 years of experience serving the legal and regulatory needs of casino industry clients
TribalHub
Casino Network
TribalHub
26th Annual TribalNet Conference Sept 15-18, 2025 at Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada
Casino Network
20+ years experience selling refurbished slot machines, parts & glass for all major brands


Your Guide to 14,826 Gaming Industry Suppliers