Is Sports Betting Legal In Washington

Yes. The governor signed a bill into law March 25, 2020, making Washington the 21st state to legalize sports betting. The bill legalizes sports betting in tribal casinos, though mobile wagering is only allowed inside those casinos.

There are 29 Native American casinos in Washington that can begin taking wagers, but a launch date has yet to be specified. Before that happens, tribes have to negotiate amendments to their gaming compacts with the state so sports betting can be added to their authorized activities. The hope for residents is that sports betting is launched ahead of the 2020 football season, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, projecting a start date is a little more difficult.

Included in the bill are restrictions that prohibit betting on games involving in-state collegiate teams and minor league sports.

Oddly, Daily Fantasy Sports have yet to be legalized in Washington, though that's likely to change following the passing of the sports betting bill. As it stands, DFS sites are barred from entering the state because state laws determine that fantasy sports are a game of chance, in turn making them gambling. Since fantasy sports have yet to be permitted by the state as a method of gambling, they are considered illegal.

• Washington Sports Betting And Gambling Laws After passing ESHB 2638, this made sports betting legal in Washington. Tribal gaming facilities is where sports betting can be done so online sports betting still could cause some issues for residents here.
• The governor signed a bill into law March 25, 2020, making Washington the 21st state to legalize sports betting. The bill legalizes sports betting in tribal casinos, though mobile wagering is only allowed inside those casinos.

Otherwise, Washington allows horse betting and has racetracks as well as online options.

Washington legalized sports betting on March 25, 2020, though no bets have been taken because the state is in compact negotiations with tribal representatives to come up with terms of a new agreement that will allow sports betting to take place on tribal lands.

The state of Washington is home to more than 7 million people and is aptly named after George Washington. The current condition of Washington online sports betting is dismal. Right now, online sports betting in any form is expressly forbidden. However, legislators have recently been considering several sports-betting bills. This means there is hope that Washington will soon join the growing list of states that have legalized online sports betting.

Washington Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is a new way to play on major league sports teams and players in Washington. Try your sports knowledge skills by playing DFS, on a variety sports events like NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL PGA, MLS, and more.

Why Is Sports Betting Illegal In Washington

Most Likely Washington Online Sports Betting Sites

Is Sports Betting Legal In Washington State

With the prospect of Washington online sports betting becoming a legalized platform, some of the top sports betting sites are preparing to start servicing their new player base. The most likely sports betting sites include BetMGM, FanDuel, and FOX Bet. Let’s take a further look at them below.

BetMGM

BetMGM is one of the top sports betting sites and also provides its players with an online casino. It features both a website and a mobile app.

This bookmaker doesn’t boast as many sports as its competitors, but for an online sportsbook tied to a land-based casino, it does well to offer a decent variety to its players.

There are no darts, horse racing, or e-Sports categories. Recently, support was added for an Aussie-rules football section, which shows BetMGM pays attention to its players’ feedback.

BetMGM offers all the basic wagering markets pre-match, and more become available closer to the starting time of an event. In-play betting is also offered, though it doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head due to its limited markets and coverage.

BetMGM is also an online casino and provides its players with the usual slots, table games, card games, and poker. It also has a category for live dealers, as well as virtual sports.

BetMGM is a trusted operator that provides its players with welcome bonuses, has a variety of payment methods, and features a range of betting options and games. BetMGM could soon be a new addition in the form of a Washington online sportsbook for Washington online sports betting.

FanDuel

FanDuel is a New York City-based bookmaker and daily fantasy sports provider. It was founded in 2009 and is the second-largest daily fantasy sports service in the U.S., behind DraftKings. In 2016, the two operators reached an agreement to merge. Alas, the merger was terminated in 2017 due to the Federal Trade Commission arguing that it would create a monopoly.

FanDuel is another one of the top sports betting sites that could soon become a Washington online sportsbook. The FanDuel sportsbook features around 16 different major U.S. sports that you can wager on. These include football, basketball, baseball, soccer, golf, boxing, and motorsports, to name a few. These sports would do very well in Washington online sports betting.

FanDuel offers more than just a sportsbook and daily fantasy sports. It also has ties to its partner Betfair, which is an online casino. Both of these operators are owned by the same entity - Paddy Power Betfair.

The FanDuel website has the online casino option under its tabs, and clicking this option will take you to the Betfair Casino website. There are currently two separate mobile apps for both FanDuel and Betfair. However, you can access both apps with the same login and password. You can also share a wallet between the two operators.

Fox Bet

Fox Bet is a relatively new operator, having only officially opened for business in September 2018.

While Fox Bet may not be a recognizable name just yet, its parent companies certainly are. The possible Washington online sportsbook is the product of a partnership between Fox and PokerStars. The sportsbook is, in essence, a rebrand.

Fox Bet offers wagering on the following sports: baseball, basketball, boxing, UFC, cricket, cycling, darts, football, golf, hockey, motorsports, rugby, soccer, and tennis. As you can see, the list is rather extensive. It follows this up by offering its players many different betting types, such as point spreads, moneylines, futures, parlays, and round robins.

Fox Bet does not have an online casino, and no news has surfaced regarding possible expansion. Although, it will most likely unveil one in the near future. Most operators eventually come to offer their players an online casino in addition to their sportsbook.

Fox Bet offers its players a well-groomed mobile app that is filled with useful features like in-play betting, live statistics, and score updates.

Now that Fox Bet has launched in two states, it won’t be surprising to see even further expansion in the near future. And, it might even make its debut as a Washington online sportsbook.

Washington Betting Laws

Washington online sports betting has been illegal in the state since the Gambling Act was first passed. Over 30 years ago, 100 sports pool boards were approved, and this has since been the only sports betting that is permitted in the state of Washington. Bracket pools, office sports pools, and fantasy sports have never been permitted as betting activities and are illegal.

All forms of Washington online sports betting are illegal. It’s also risky, considering many sites operate from other countries with varying laws. You may not receive your winnings, and you also have no legal recourse to claim these winnings.

Any participation in online bookmaking or online casino games is considered professional gambling and constitutes a felony.

On February 13th, 2020, the Washington State House passed a bill that would allow sports betting at tribal casinos. The bill states that tribes could renew their agreements with the state to add sports betting to their casinos.

That’s an enormous step forward for the future of Washington online sports betting. The bill now makes its way to the Senate, where it requires a vote of 60% of the electorate to be overturned. It’s starting to look like sports wagering is unstoppable in its quest for legislation.

If approved, the new law would come into effect immediately.

States where you can already place an online sports bet today :

Updated on :

Colorado Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan Nevada New Jersey Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia West Virginia

Washington Online Sports Betting: Events & Betting Markets

Common Types of Bets

Win Bets & Moneyline Bets

A bet where your team only needs to win. The point spread is replaced by odds. Win bets and moneyline bets are interchangeable terms; “win bet” is used globally, while “moneyline bet” is a U.S. term. A win bet is one of the most popular wagers, mainly because it’s easy to understand and is thought of as the traditional way to bet.

Parlay

A parlay, or accumulators, are known as multiples. This is a wager that involves making more than one selection. For example, if you want to back five baseball teams to each win their next game, you would include all five teams in the parlay.

Wagers like this are challenging to win, mainly because you have to get every selection correct. Even if just one choice is wrong, the entire wager is a loser. The flipside is that the returns can be very high if you do win.

Futures

Future bets and outright bets both describe the same thing. With this bet, you select the winner of an entire tournament, competition, or league. Most of the time, you make this pick ahead of the sporting event, which is why the term “futures” is used.

Most Popular Sports to Bet On

Washington is one of 13 cities in the U.S. with teams from all four major professional men’s sports, as well as one major professional women’s team.

It is home base to an NFL team (The Washington Football Team), an MLB team (The Washington Nationals), an NHL team (The Washington Capitals), and an NBA team (The Washington Wizards). There is one women’s NBA team (The Washington Mystics).

It’s a safe bet to say that the most popular sports in future Washington online sports betting are football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. In addition to the major sports, local bettors can also find action on women’s football, rugby, hockey, and basketball.

Popular Washington Events

Many of the state’s popular events focus on sports. Events that attract the crowds include:

• The Super Bowl (football)
• The Citi Open (tennis)
• Marine Corps Marathon (running)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon (running)
• Nationals (baseball)
• World Series (baseball)
• Major League (soccer)
• Army Ten-Miler (running)

Best Teams to Bet On

As would be expected, the best teams to bet on are those that are based in Washington itself. These would be:

• The Washington Football Team (football)
• The Washington Nationals (baseball)
• The Washington Capitals (hockey)
• The Washington Wizards (basketball)
• The Washington Mystics (women’s basketball)

Common Payment Options

Participating in sports betting on any Washington online sportsbook means you will be transacting using real money. There are many ways to conduct these transactions, and the most common payment options include:

• Major debit and credit cards
• NETeller
• Click2Pay
• PayPal
• Skrill
• Bank transfer
• PaySafeCard

Washington Casinos

The Washington Gambling Commission licenses and regulates all acceptable social gambling events in Washington, barring the lottery and horse racing. They regulate any prohibited gambling ventures and also regulate tribal games subject to negotiations between the State and the Tribes.

Tribal gaming is allowed, along with the maintenance of these gambling facilities. The use of any gambling devices is strictly prohibited at tribal casinos. No online casino gaming is allowed. There are a total of 28 tribal casinos located in Washington.

The state of Washington allows some types of social gaming that do not require any licenses. These include raffles, bingo, amusement games hosted by charities, fishing derbies, sports pools, bowling and golfing sweepstakes, turkey shoots, social card games, and promotional contests.

Most of these activities are only permitted at commercial food and beverage locations, as well as commercial card rooms.The Washington Gambling Commission requires licenses for all other authorized gambling activities.

Washington Horse Racing

Pari-mutuel wagering is a form of wagering whereby all particular bets are placed in a pool. Taxes and what the house takes in are deducted, and payoff odds are based on splitting the pool evenly among all winning wagers. This system of horse betting usually occurs in horse racing or greyhound racing, where contestants finish in order.

In Washington, pari-mutuel wagering is permitted on live and simulcast horse racing events. These events take place at the state’s racetracks and off-track betting parlors. Auburn’s Emerald Downs and Sun Downs are the only tracks that offer live racing. Advance-deposit wagering on horse racing is also allowed. Greyhound racing is strictly prohibited.

Many avid bettors believe that legalizing Washington online sports betting would only do good for the horse racing industry.

Final Thoughts on Betting in Washington

The current situation on sports betting in Washington is hanging in the air. Lawmakers in the state have filed a bill that was passed in the Washington State House. This bill would allow sports betting at tribal casinos, essentially legalizing Washington online sports betting.

When Is Sports Betting Legal In Washington

Washington online sports betting could significantly increase state revenues, especially from taxes imposed on online casino gaming and sportsbooks.

Tribal casinos that are already allowed to operate earn billions in revenue annually and do not have to pay any tax. Implementing a system that will enable proper regulation of this industry will only offer further benefits to Washington.

Several top sports betting sites are already trickling into the Washington online sports betting market. These include names like BetMGM, FanDuel, and Fox Bet. All of these bookmakers offer a variety of major sports to wager on, along with popular casino games.

For now, the state still has a firm stance against gambling. We await the decision of the Senate.

Washington Online Sports Betting FAQ

Is Sports Betting Legal In Washington

Are sports betting sites legal in the United States?

Is Sports Betting Legal In Washington Dc

Yes and no. In 2018 the Supreme Court got rid of PASPA, a federal law that banned single-game wagering. Now, each state can set its own rules for online sports betting.

Currently, the following states have legalized online sports betting: New Jersey, Oregon, Indiana, Nevada, Iowa, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Illinois, Tennessee, and Michigan.

What do I need to register at an online betting site in Washington?

To register an account with a licensed operator, you will need to provide some details. These include your personal information, contact details, banking details, as well as proof of identification.

Is it safe to deposit money at sports betting sites in Washington?

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Washington

Yes. First, make sure that the operator you are using is licensed. You can also check their policy regarding payments. Most reputable bookmakers employ a variety of means to ensure your banking details are safe and secure. They make use of advanced data encryption and SSL.

Can I set betting limits?

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Washington

The bookmaker will set specific betting limits on each product they offer. You can read more on each operator’s website under their terms and conditions.