Best Casino In Washington

List of casinos in the U.S. State of Washington; Casino City County State District Type Comments 12 Tribes Resort Casino: Omak: Okanogan: Washington: 12 Native American Tribes: 7 Cedars Casino. Tulalip Resort Casino – official site. Seattle area location offering gaming, luxury accommodations, entertainment, and fine dining. Washington Casino Apps. Despite being illegal in the state, Washington residents still have access to the best online casinos across and outside the country. The only form of internet gambling allowed in the state is the casino app created by Muckleshoot. Consider it a small step toward the beginning of Washington online casinos. . With over 2,200 slot machines, 35 table games, and poker room, the Tulalip Casino Resort is the largest casino in Washington. And with 370 rooms, it’s also the biggest casino resort in the state. Washington will have its 15th and 16th casino resorts opening in 2021. Read more Six Washington Casinos win 2020 Best of Gaming Awards October 5, 2020 - Six tibal casinos in Washington State were named winners in this year's Best of Gaming Awards in the Native American Northwest.

Home to the underdog Redskins, Washington state sure has better things to offer than their football team. With the rising trend of internet gambling legalizing across the U.S, a lot of us are anticipating the arrival of Washington online casinos.

As of now, it is still illegal to operate and participate in any form of online gambling in WA. On top of that, Washington is one of the rare states that take extra measures to prevent its residents from betting online. Any platform, including online sportsbooks, that operates without permission is considered a felony. As a result, WA residents are having a tough time playing in the best online casinos in the country.

Read on to learn the current situation of Washington online casinos and future plans.

Washington Online Casino Laws

As mentioned earlier, Washington is one of the few states that put extra effort into discouraging online casinos. In 2006, WA made a law that would deem online gambling a crime. A legal challenge to the law was formed in 2011 but to no avail. What’s funny is that the law only criminalizes Washington online casinos within state borders. Residents in WA reportedly can still play any offshore casino that accepts them.

Essentially, the law managed to reduce online sportsbooks and casinos in the state. However, it didn’t do much to prevent residents from playing. If you look at it from the IRS perspective, it makes sense. Washington doesn’t want to concern itself with the logistics of online gambling, but can still collect taxes on winnings. If they decided to make Washington online casinos legal, extra management would be required.

Best Casino In Washington State

As for brick-in-mortar casinos, it’s smooth-sailing for those resort goers. Washington has many gambling options, including horse betting, bingo, and lottery. Over the years, the state has been expanding and adding more gaming choices for its residents. Right now, there are at least 24 casinos in WA, not counting card rooms. You must be at least 21 years of age to play in a casino. Card clubs must comply with betting limits and there still aren’t any Washington sportsbooks.

Future Casino Legislation in Washington

While there are a lot of things to do in the gaming scene of WA, digital players are still squirming restlessly on the bench. Washington online casinos still haven’t received official regulations. Things like online sportsbooks again aren’t seeing the light of day.

People have been pursuing changes in gambling laws for years. There’s even a group of advocates called Game On who came together to negotiate with lawmakers. These guys pleaded for legal rights of social gaming and F2P(Free-to-play) operators in Washington. Their proposal has not been approved nor responded.

As for sports betting, lawmakers have been making efforts towards its legalization. At the end of 2018, Senator Orrin Hatch proposed legislation that would remove federal barriers on sports betting. Also, along with online sportsbooks operations.

The bill HR.5502 was introduced in 2019 and passed on to the Gambling Commission to await procedures. Since then, the legislation has been making very positive progress. It has gained two more legislative votes and is now on the schedule for a floor vote. Although this doesn’t determine the future of Washington online casinos, it’s certainly put the state in the right direction.

Considering all this, Washington seems to be showing a lot of interest and cooperation towards gaming expansion. People are hoping that Washington online casinos and sportsbooks will become official as soon as next year.

Washington Horse Racing

While the road to Washington online casinos is a narrow one, horse racing here is quite the opposite. Horse betting has always been popular in the state ever since becoming legal in 1933. The state began allowing pari-mutuel betting in said year, and that was when the Longacres Race Course opened its track and sportsbook.

Now, there are at least five horse racing tracks in Washington. Emerald Downs remains the best facility in the state for horse betting and many other social events. The place is never short of good action and juicy promotions. You don’t even have to be a horse expert to have a good time there.

Washington Casino Apps

Despite being illegal in the state, Washington residents still have access to the best online casinos across and outside the country. The only form of internet gambling allowed in the state is the casino app created by Muckleshoot. Consider it a small step toward the beginning of Washington online casinos.

Muckleshoot casino, one of the biggest operators in the NW region, was the first to introduce its own app. This software allows you to play a variety of casino games on your phone. Serviced by Playport Gaming Systems, the app lets users purchase games they want to play and win real money. The catch to this is that every financial procedure must be done on the site. From game selection to redeeming winnings, everything happens inside the application.

Since the Muckleshoot app focuses on games like bingo, which don’t compete against the house, it bypasses Washington restrictions. It’s a smart idea as this app isn’t a Washington online casino. Rather, it is an extension of the Muckleshoot operations.

Washington Online Sportsbooks

Current laws prohibit Washington sportsbooks and any sports betting activities on the internet. The Federal Wire Act in 1961 made it illegal to bet on sports games across states. The only legal form of such games in WA is the sports pool, but they are only available in land-based casinos. Washington online casinos that operate outside of the state may offer such activities and are not under WA regulations.

However, it’s not entirely hopeless for these players. Washington residents can still place bets on offshores online sportsbooks. Keep in mind that Washington is one of the strictest states when it comes to online gambling. So, deviating from regulations is not encouraged. Chances are, these sportsbooks will become legal before we see any Washington online casinos.

Final Thoughts on Casino Gambling in Washington

Although we won’t find any Washington online casinos anytime soon, legislators are keeping an eye on the idea of change. The state has gone from not allowing any forms of gambling to having a rampant expansion of tribal casinos. Now, lawmakers are considering adding more options for digital players, but this process seems stagnant.

Players’ demands are ever-growing, and that puts pressure on the state pols. Residents have been fighting hard for more legal choices over the years. Unfortunately, that hasn’t seemed to budge state policies. We’ll be lucky if the online sportsbooks bill manages to pass. Otherwise, the goal of playing the best online casinos in Washington is still very, very far from reach.

The regulations on US online gambling across the country have been through quite the hustle, with many interpretations on what is allowed and what is not, with states that have seen the opportunities that come along with a legal framework for Internet wagering and others that on account of their beliefs state against it. On that account, Washington online gambling is on the extreme side of restrictive actions taken against it. With a constant attitude against USA online casinos, Washington takes the battle to the next level, being one of the few states that have a clear specification that opposes Internet wagering.

Best Washington Online Casino Sites

Contents

Overview on the Washington State’s Gambling Market

There are three main directions to take into consideration when speaking of betting in the state:

• It takes one of the strongest anti-online gambling stances in the country, making it illegal for online gambling in Washington State, to be organized. Washington online poker has had some attempts at being regulated, but WA is far from becoming one of the legal online gambling sites.
• The biggest off-line option for exerting betting are the tribal land based casinos, with more than 20 tribes running almost 30 casino businesses. The year 1999 has found these casinos on the upturn, after enabling them the use of slot machines, a move that gave them a clear advantage over their rivals: card rooms.
• Early developed card rooms in which were, at first, allowed only non-banked games, but now get to offer poker, as well as blackjack. They have demanded the permit for slots machines being included in their offer, to compete with the tribal casinos, but were thus far denied all opportunities of doing so.

While further analyzing the current situation, it is easy to observe that while the tribal casinos have the largest spread, with the most options and gather the highest profit, somewhere around 2 billion dollars. But their paid taxes is zero, given the federal law protecting the Native-Americans and allowing them to use the amount that would’ve gone to the state’s income, for investments in the tribe’s needs. This means that the heavy burden of tax collecting falls on the shoulders of the lottery and the commercially owned card rooms. They total an amount of only 200 million dollars. Perhaps, under these conditions, by refusing to legalize online gambling, Washington denies itself an important means of income.

Land-based Casinos

Even before the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act came into effect, there was a lot of discussion on establishing the ground rules for legally wagering. First, the state constitution denied categorically all forms of gambling. Then, one by one, horse races were allowed and then bingo and raffles. When these were deemed unconstitutional, it was stipulated that a Gambling Commission had to be set in place, for it to regulate this particular domain. Thus, in 1971, the first “casino nights” were allowed, as a charitable event. This has been the first step towards gambling expansion, with card rooms following soon and finally the first agreement with an Indian tribe, for the opening of a stateside casino, all the way in 1992. With all of these measures put in motion, we would have expected that Washington state online gambling regulations would be a swift walk in the park, instead of the fierce struggle that this day presents.
But even these tribal casinos have a bit of a battle of their own. Recently, the Cowlitz tribe opened a state-of-the-art resort casino, near Portland, for a massive investment of over 500 million USD, containing a high number of slot machines, restaurants, and other facilities. However, regardless of all the excitement around this grand-opening, there were those who had nothing but to lose. The close-by establishment of the Grand Ronde tribe has blamed a loss of revenue of almost 40%. Taking into account the experience of this particular tribe, it’s hard to believe that many such tribes are going to welcome the US online gambling stage being expanded in this state.

Card Rooms

These establishments, have come into the public’s attention earlier on, in 1974 and represent the main competitor for tribal casinos, especially in the absence of any Washington online casino for real money sites. The state has a large number of poker rooms, more than many other states. But there aren’t any large card rooms. The highest number of poker tables in a single location is of 32. Most are grouped into bunches of 3-5 poker tables, usually hosted by bars.

Washington State Online Gambling

Based on causes that are currently eluding our understanding, the Gambling Commission has an unusually aggressive attitude against online gambling for Washington. This is among the few states that have specifically stated in its regulations a ban on Internet wagering activity. Besides the fact that the laws in the matter stipulate some of the fiercest punishments for illegal activities, the most interesting moment on this regard came in 2006, when lawmakers decided that felony charges can be pursued for those that use the Internet, among other means, to carry out any activity concerning gambling. Just to clarify the example, felony charges, in this case, can go up to 10000 USD fine, along with a maximum of 5 years imprisonment.
This being the case, it’s no wonder that no operator of online sports betting for Washington State wanted to take the chance and risk such penalties as are stated in the law. The same goes for any software provider or operator who wanted to base their business here and start some Washington online casinos.
Luckily for willing players, the changes in US online gambling regulations also affected the interpretations for the state law. After the rebuffing in 2011 of the Wire Act, all the restrictions and the rules mentioned before, only apply to operators and not to the average everyday player.

Legal Attempts

Not to understand from all stated above, that no attempts have been made to legalize some form of virtual betting. Following the trend of a much more relaxed view on online gambling in the US in general, several supporters have tried on different occasions to push a bill. Most debates have been around the legalization of online poker in Washington.
The most intense discussion happened in 2010, around the idea that residents had the right to play Internet poker and were not meant to become subject of a felony by doing this. This has seen the Supreme Court of Washington, which not only shut the idea down but even stated that it was among the state’s prerogatives to elaborate such punishments. The bills that followed didn’t get this much attention, often enough failing to receive even a hearing. What is indeed gratifying is that regardless of the hostility towards such a concept, the supporters of a bill that would legalize online poker aren’t yet giving up.

Best Casino In Washington

Other options

Given the ever-changing stance against Washington online casinos and the apparent worsening of conditions, any online gambling US player is advised to constantly be up to date with the latest news on this subject. For the moment, the options of playing in online casinos refer exclusively to those websites that have their business based outside the state, mostly being licensed in different countries, like Curacao, Malta or Canada, to name a few. As is the best example of a renowned website Bovada Casino. Bovada is legal in Washington and is residents’ favourite online casino brand. Seeing how it is not based in the US, it can offer its gaming services to citizens of this specific state, without fear of repercussions both from the site’s point of view, as well as from its players.

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Can I gamble online in WA?

There is no Washington online casino available. Only offshore-based websites, which need carefully reviewing before joining their games. Luckily there are some sites that do just that and playing on their recommendations, means not to worry about verifying licenses, security measures or authenticity.

Is online poker legal in Washington State?

No for the moment. Although online poker in Washington State has been constantly pushed for legalization, it was not a successful endeavor so far. The only remaining option is that of reviewed and verified websites from other jurisdictions.

What is the minimum legal gambling age in Washington?

The minimum classical gambling age applies to online gambling in Washington State, as well. Thus, although it’s been stated at 18, the recommendations are to align with the general US online gambling age of 21.

How can you withdraw your winnings in Washington?

Given the restrictions of Washington online gambling, the rules that apply when withdrawing money are those set by the websites you play at. Check out the terms and conditions stated on the site. Any online casino accepting Washington players is going to demand a means of payment that includes extra verification, such as wire transfer. They need more days to be accomplished but are the safest way.

How about future prospects on legislative relaxation on the online gambling domain?

Online gambling Washington State law has had some bills being pushed for legalizing poker, without any real success. We can, therefore, assess that no online casino in Washington is to be seen anytime soon.

Additional Sources:

https://www.wsgc.wa.gov/news/gambling-legislation-2019
http://mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Public-Safety/Licensing-and-Regulation/Gambling-in-Washington-State.aspx
https://www.jobmonkey.com/casino/washington/