There's good news and bad news if you're looking to gamble in Washington state. Land-based gambling is given a degree of freedom — but by no means is it a free-for-all. Despite a gray zone of legality, online gambling is not licensed and therefore unavailable legally to Washington players. Still, the good news is that players can enjoy sports betting in retail casinos. It became available in late 2021.
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Not Legal
It's important to know that Washington, unlike some states, has written laws about playing online. Here it's illegal to play "any unregulated gambling" game. Indeed, in 2006, the state of Washington made a law that criminalized online gambling, and the ruling was reinforced in 2011. There are no legal channels to play online casino for real money and little interest from lawmakers to change these laws in the foreseeable future.
Not Legal
Online poker players are in much the same boat. Unlike some other states, there's been little push for a regulated online poker market in the Evergreen State.
Legal
Washington presents many entertainment options. Sports betting is one of them. However, unlike in many other states, there are specific sports betting limitations. While placing bets is legal, it's only possible in select tribal casinos. That also applies to online sports betting. You can use mobile apps as long as you're inside the casino. Still, it's a start for the state, which will probably continue regulating online sports betting to expand its presence.
Not Legal
Washington is one of a handful of states where leading daily fantasy sites like DraftKings and Fanduel don't operate. The state previously pursued criminal charges against residents offering similar fantasy sports games and out-of-state providers have avoided the market for similar fears of legal charges. Lawmakers have held hearings about a daily fantasy legalization bill and, as much of the rest of the nation embraces these games, there could be changes. In the meantime, there are no legal avenues to play games like these.
"Ron Fritz is a former editor for Gambling.com."
Reviewer since July 2019