Jeneva Cotton Joins Washington State Gambling Commission as Deputy Director

Not many of our best sports betting sites are available in Washington, despite that there is a legal Washington sports betting scene.

On Feb. 1st, Jeneva Cotton will join the Washington State Gambling Commission as the new Deputy Director. Cotton will succeed current Deputy Director Gary Drumheller, who is set to retire. 

She brings a long track record of public service. Until recently, she served as the Juvenile Division Director at the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, and before that, Cotton had served as Director of Civil Residential Treatment Facilities at the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). 

Before the DSHS, Cotton worked for 23 years for the Department of Corrections, where she held various agency leadership roles, including Deputy Director of Prisons. As Deputy Director, Cotton oversaw prisons, offender programs, family services, visitations, religious services, and gender responsiveness. She also served as the state's Correctional Programs Administrator, Gender Responsive Manager, and Superintendent at two prison facilities. 

Cotton’s background lies in social services and psychology. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Services and a Master of Science in Psychology and has completed credentials as a Certified Diversity Executive. The gambling commission wrote in a that “Jeneva brings a vast amount of experience implementing programs and collaborating with stakeholders, both internal and external, including but not limited to legislative workgroups, labor relations partners, Disability Rights Washington, and the Governor’s Office.”  

Taking a stance on election betting

As Jeneva Cotton’s appointment comes a short time before the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump, she most likely won’t have to deal with the controversy surrounding political betting sites for the next four years. In November of last year, the Washington State Gambling Commission made a clear stance on election betting, issuing a statement that election betting is illegal within state borders in response to a controversy surrounding the legality of the Kalshi website, which offered betting on the 2024 presidential election. 

Washington sports betting lawsuit dismissed again

In December, the gambling industry faced further legal challenges as the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington dismissed a sports betting lawsuit pending between the state and its tribes.

Maverick Gaming filed its suit in 2022, arguing that tribal exclusivity in the compacts violated the 10th Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause. The Western Washington District Court dismissed the case in 2023, and the Third Circuit Court upheld this initial ruling, in part due to the Shoalwater Bay Casino’s intervention and argument that the case would violate tribal sovereignty.

Eric Persson, the CEO of Maverick Gaming, told the press in 2022 that he believed the case could go to the Supreme Court. With the case dismissed in Third Circuit Court it may not reach that far, but it shows that there are distinct tensions for the Gambling Commission to be wary of as Cotton takes over from Drumheller as Deputy Director.