Guide to Washington Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

Washington state’s relationship with gambling has been exceedingly conservative over the years, only recently has the industry been slowly opened up with a couple of constant exceptions. From the early 20th century, when most forms of gambling were completely illegal, to the modern-day some of them are at least legal in some circumstances – with the one major exception being online gaming.

Washington state generally has very strict laws and restrictions on gambling, and there are few formats under which you can legally wager in Washington. the state also has an incredibly broad definition, defining it as risking something of value upon the outcome of chance which covers lots of different forms of gaming and therefore restricts all of the gaming it covers. Below you’ll find the minimum Washington gambling age for each type of legal gaming in the state.

in the table above you would see the legal gambling age is required to participate in each form of legal wagering allowed in Washington state. if there is no age listed then that form is most likely illegal within the state.

On this page, we will do a deep dive into the laws of Washington state focusing on the legal gambling age that is required. We will also discuss the history of gambling in Washington as well as looking to the future and giving insight into any potential law reform.

Casino Age in Washington

As mentioned in the introduction the Evergreen state has traditionally had a very conservative approach towards gambling, reflecting this there is no commercial casino industry active within the state. this does not mean that there are no casinos for residents to enjoy, however. Since 1991, when Washington state recognized the federal Indian gambling regulation act of 1988, local Washington state tribes began establishing operating and construction casino venues across the reservation territory within the state’s borders. To date, there are currently 39 tribal casinos operating in Washington state.

In an unusual move for a state that prides itself for its conservative approach, the legal Washington gambling age for casinos across the state is only 18. The tribal casinos are either authorized to offer class show or Class III gaming activities these include traditional casino table games such as poker, blackjack or roulette alongside sports polls, keno, punch boards and pull tabs.

In 1998 Washington state tribes signed in an amendment to the current compacts they had with Washington state which became known as Appendix X. Appendix X further opened up the gaming systems tribes were able to offer on site, in this case it allowed for the Tribal Lottery System which allows tribes to use electronic gaming machines at tribal casinos that offer both online instant lottery games.

In terms of future gambling reform within Washington state, they have been throughout the years’ several commercial interests who have lobbied the state to allow commercial casino gambling to establish itself within Washington’s borders. However, looking pragmatically at the chances of Washington’s State legislature allowing for the casino industry to establish itself the prospect is bleak. State residents seem happy with the wide variety of games on offer at tribal casinos, and given the presence of strong family values lobbying groups within the state, state representatives are tentative at the idea of further opening up the state laws.

What are The Casinos In Washington that accept 18 year Olds?

Yes, 18-year-olds can gamble at casinos in Washington state. All tribal casinos operating within the Evergreen state’s borders only require that visitors be 18 years old in order to wager within their premises. To help you find In Washington we pulled together a list of the top eight casinos allowing entry to 18-year-olds within Washington state in the table below.

Sports Betting In Washington

To date sports betting is still deemed illegal in Washington. Washington state is an incredible sports-mad state and his home till three professional Major League teams the National Football league’s Seattle Seahawks, the women’s National Basketball Association Seattle storm and Major League baseball’s Seattle Mariners. given the incredible local support for each of these Major League teams, it appears incongruous that sports betting is not yet legal within the state.

In 2006 the state legislature ruled that Internet and online gambling laws make sports betting technically illegal within the state since 2014 several groups have been pushing back at 2006 rolling and have argued that sports racing should be legalized and online casinos should also be opened up. To date, the Washington state legislature has not been moved by The lobbying of these individuals and his only allowed minor concessions towards legalizing sports betting.

These minor concessions include in February 2019 when a house bill was introduced to allow sports betting on a limited basis within tribal casinos, the bill did not call for the legalization of online or mobile sports betting and limits the wagers that can be placed to in-person bets.

One form of sports wagering that Washington residents have been able to enjoy since 1933 is pari-mutuel betting on horse races. Like many American residents, horse race betting is a favourite pastime of Washington state residents but it can only be undertaken in person And only on-site at licensed horse racing tracks. the legal gambling age for participating in parimutuel betting in Washington is 18 years old.

WA Online Gambling Age

Continuing with its conservative approach towards gambling Washington states has no active online casino industry. despite the fact that there had been tribal casinos in operation in Washington since the 1990s the state has remained firm in its opposition to online gaming. as mentioned above, in 2006 a bill was passed that strictly and explicitly stated that all forms of Internet gambling are illegal.

it does not appear as if Washington state legislature will change their minds towards online gambling and playing in online casinos either based in Washington state or based out of state is considered a felony offence.

While residents of Washington state may have noticed that they had access to offshore online gambling websites they should be warned that it is a risky undertaking to gamble on them. Firstly, none of these websites are licensed or registered within the US and therefore should any individual had issues when playing on them they will have no recourse against the website operators and the US consumer protection law. Secondly, as just mentioned all forms of online gambling are illegal in Washington state and anyone caught partaking in it online could be prosecuted as it is considered a felony offence.

Poker Gambling Age

Luckily for fans of poker, poker has been legal in the tribal casinos operating within Washington state since their inception in the early 90s. Fencer poker is also able to play casual games also known as social games when whoever is hosting does not stake a claim in the game. The legal gambling age for playing poker in a casino is 18 years old, the same as for casino gaming.

Unfortunately online poker is still considered illegal in Washington and as with all other forms of online gambling Washington state’s legislature does not seem to be looking to legalize any form of Internet wagering in the near future.

Daily Fantasy Sports

One area in which Washington has really established its conservative stance towards gambling is with Daily Fantasy Sports. Daily Fantasy Sports has always been illegal in Washington state and no Delhi fancy sports operators are active within Washington state borders.

In 2016 Washington state clarified that Daily Fantasy Sports are not exempt from the gambling laws that state most forms of gaming that require a wager are illegal. the penalties applied to those who break the rules and participate in Daily Fantasy Sports are incredibly severe when compared to other states that have it prohibited the game.

The unambiguous laws and harsh penalties in place for breaking these laws Illustrate how strongly Washington state legislature feels about Daily Fantasy Sports. There have been several moves in 2019 to reverse than on Daily Fantasy Sports within the state’s borders however given the lack of support amongst Washington state’s public and the state legislature abhorrence off the game it looks unlikely that Daily Fantasy Sports legal status will change anytime soon.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Washington

Washington state has had an active state lottery since 1982, so popular was the lottery when it was first legalized that almost 10,000,000 tickets were sold in the first week. The legal Washington gambling age for the state lottery is 18 years old.

Since the lottery was established in Washington It has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for state infrastructure including schooling, natural resources and government programs. To date Washington state allows players to take part in some of the biggest multi-jurisdictional games such as Powerball and Mega Millions which have extremely large jackpots on offer and continually tempt players to try their luck.

Keeping in line with Washington states stance towards online forms of gambling there is no online lottery available in Washington. The lack of an online lottery has not stopped players purchasing tickets and with over 3000 lottery retailers available in the state the sale of lottery tickets does not look like it is slowing down anytime soon.

Washington Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Washington’s state laws can be found within the state legislature under code 9 in 67. Under these codes gambling is defined as, ‘staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or future contingent event not under the person’s control or influence, upon an agreement that someone will receive something of value’. As mentioned earlier on this page this broad and overarching definition has been successfully applied to all popular forms of gambling.

While in some states there is an implied understanding that gambling laws automatically include online gaming, Washington state has taken it one step further and in 2006 explicitly legislated to state that all forms of it are illegal .

Washington state’s gambling economy is very healthy when Considering the state is known for its conservative approach towards its gaming laws. in 2019 the tribal casinos operating within Washington state created an economic footprint of over $5 billion while supporting over 35,000 jobs.

There are taxes applied to winnings in Washington state. Like the majority of states across the US gambling winnings are considered personal income and in Washington, winnings are taxed at an individual’s personal income tax bracket. Additionally, as with most other states, the state lottery also has taxes applicable to wins over a specific size. any winnings that exceed $5000 have to pay a federal tax of 25% along with an additional state tax.

In terms of the future of Washington states gambling industry, it doesn’t look to be many changes on the horizon. Washington retains its conservative approach towards placing real money bets and the few concessions it has made over the years were well thought out and took time to initiate. Any further law reform will most likely take time In Washington state is surely looking at other more liberal states for guidance as to whether adopting more modern forms of gambling is worth its while. Make sure to check out our detailed USA legal gambling ages guide for more info on all states.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that we have provided some good insights into Washington’s gambling laws on this page. Should you have any additional questions we advised that you take a look at the answers to the most frequently asked questions provided below.