List of all Washington State betting sites

Sports Betting Legislation in Washington State

Historically, the state of Washington was amongst the US states with the strictest regulations regarding sports betting. Therefore, the fact that it was the 21st state to give a nod on sports wagering was a huge surprise. Interestingly, bettors in the state thought that the legalization process was going to last longer than it did.

Today, bettors are free to place wagers with land-based bookies and casinos all over the state. However, back in 2021, Gov. Jay Inslee came up with an emergency clause on the sports wagering bill. As soon as the lawmakers approved HB 2638, the Governor immediately signed it into law to allow sports wagering.

A couple of weeks later, the lawmakers in Washington State made amendments to expand legal sports betting beyond tribal casinos. As such, other land-based sports betting operators began applying for licensing to offer betting services within the state. So far, more than a dozen of such bookies offer in-person sports betting in Washington State.

Legal WA betting sites

Moreover, the Snoqualmie tribe launched the first in-state retail bookmaker in September 2021. As a result, other bookies already have licensing to join in and offer sports betting markets to residents of WA. Meaning, bettors now have more options to place wagers than ever before.

With that said, all sports betting operators must agree to amend their services in accordance with the tribal compact agreement. 

Let’s now have a look at the various sports betting restrictions, licensing, and taxation requirements in the state of Washington.

Various Restrictions

While WA sports betting is perfectly legal, there are some laid restrictions according to the state’s betting law. As such, all parties involved (bookies, casinos, and punters) must adhere to each of these restrictions for a smooth experience. In fact, the state of Washington still maintains some of its strict rules on sports betting to this day.

The following are the restrictions to keep in mind while betting in Washington State.

• Sports betting is only legal for individuals who are 21 years or older.
• Mobile sports betting is possible at casino establishments.
• Placing bets can only happen when the bettor is within state borders.
• Parties affiliated with certain sports cannot place bets on those sports.
• Gamblers in an exclusion list cannot place wagers.
• Bookies must have all the necessary licensing before launching in-state.
• Betting on all high school and collegiate is not possible.

Licensing and taxation for WA sports betting

Like all other US states, WA sports betting law requires all casinos and bookmakers to obtain valid licensing. However, only the Washington State Gambling Commission can issue betting licenses as the WA Gaming Act stipulates. As a result, interested parties must send applications to the WSGC and make necessary payments for licensing. 

Most importantly, the law allows the Washington State Gambling Commission to revoke bookmakers’ licenses whenever they break the law. 

With regard to taxation, the state of Washington does not collect betting taxes from casinos and bookmakers. However, the WA sports betting law still considers all winnings as income; hence the state taxes them as such. Therefore, WA sport betting law requires bettors in the state to declare their sports betting winnings when filing tax returns.

As a result, punters must pay a 25% withholding tax from all their winnings as they provide their SSN. Interestingly, the tax percentage rises to 28% if the bettor chooses to withhold such information from the IRS.

What can I legally wager on In Washington State?

Currently, the tribal casinos dictate the sporting activities that punters in the state can place wagers on. Meaning, bookmakers in the state must work under regulations set by the tribal compact agreement. As such, bettors in the state of Washington State have only a handful of games that they can wager on today.

Interestingly, WA sports betting law prohibits daily fantasy sports within state lines. As such, no casino within the state can offer DFS to punters today. The state of Washington is one of the five states that does not allow daily fantasy sports since its ban in 2016.

Washington State sports betting options

Even still, lawmakers have made several unsuccessful attempts to legalize this kind of sport in the past. Alternatively, WA sports betting law does not prohibit punters from wagering in surrounding states. Therefore, bettors are free to visit states such as Oregon to place wagers on Daily Fantasy Sports. 

As we hope that this will change soon, punters can still enjoy horse race betting within the state of Washington. Currently, the state has 13 off-track racing facilities within state borders. In addition, WA sports betting also allows six mobile horse race betting sites. 

The horse race betting sites in WA include:

• TwinSpires
• 123 Bet
• TVG
• Xpress Bet
• Watch and Wager
• NYRA Bets

Better still, punters can still opt for US-licensed bookmakers to place wagers. With such apps, bettors are able to wager on the major and most popular events in the United States. As such, punters are able to place wagers on the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, among others.