Washington Betting Sites

In recent years, the state of Washington has begun a significant transformation in terms of legalizing sports betting. This dynamic shift has meant that Washington residents can take part in sports wagers for the first time. In this article, we’ll cover the legalities of online betting in the Evergreen State and where you can go to experience the best online sports betting. Continue reading to get the lowdown on what is and isn’t available here.

Is Online Betting Legal in Washington?

In March of 2020, Governor Jay Inslee signed bill HB 2638. This allowed tribal casinos in the state of Washington to provide sports betting. As a result, Washington became the 21st US state to legalize online betting. This wasn’t expected, however. 

For a long time, Washington has been prolifically anti-gambling. In fact, it was only in 2006 that the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) came about, which prohibited residents from betting on Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) games and other games of chance. The Washington State Gambling Commission acts as the gaming control board of the state and enforces all of the gambling regulations and laws. The state allows tribal casinos and there are 30 of them. It’s also possible for each one to launch a retail sportsbook, so sports betting might gain further traction here. 

Washingtonians, however, do have more restrictions compared to residents in other US states where sports betting is allowed. Currently, sports betting can only take place at retail sportsbooks — this includes betting online. As such, only one online betting app exists. This is the Snoqualmie Casino sportsbook app that was launched in December 2021. The same rules apply, though. Punters can only use this app when they are on the grounds of the Snoqualmie Casino, and this is strictly policed by the use of geolocation services.

Currently, some Washington residents who live close to the Oregon border travel there to place wagers online. There, it’s possible to bet online with the DraftKings app. 

Popular Sports to Bet On in Washington

Since Snoqualmie Casino has the first of Washington’s sportsbook apps, it’s no surprise it boasts about the different sports betting opportunities on offer. In Washington, you can bet on all major leagues with all of the most popular markets covered. 

Like many jurisdictions, college sports betting is allowed provided you’re not wagering on in-state teams. You’re not allowed to wager on Esports here, however. 

Here are some of the most popular sports to bet on in Washington.

NFL

As you might expect, the NFL is one of the most popular sporting events to bet on. Betting lines for these games generally become available on Mondays for the games during the week and you can also find half time lines for Sunday’s games each Thursday. College football betting is also permitted. If online sports betting becomes more mainstream in the state, it’s likely that this sport will be the most popular of all. 

NBA

NBA betting is very popular too and betting lines are available daily. The most popular team in Washington is the Los Angeles Lakers and so many Washingtonians who like to bet on the NBA include this team in their wagers. The most popular types of bets are in-game bets, moneyline bets, and futures.

MLB

Washington has its fair share of Major League Baseball fans. Bettings options include over/under bets, moneyline bets, and spreads to name a few. Snoqualmie’s parlay bets included Teasers too. These are parlay bets where you can shift the point spread of each leg in your favor to up the chances of winning.

NHL

NHL is another popular sporting event in Washington and bettors place numerous wagers on the league each season. You can bet on points scored, first to score, the time of the first goal, and points scored per period too. There are also all of the usual bets like moneyline wagers and over/under bets. Point spread betting — known as the puck line in NHL — is a popular option too. 

Horse Racing

Horse race betting is legal in Washington. Punters must be 18 to bet at racetracks but 21 to use horse racing betting sites. Horse racing betting regulations come separately to sportsbetting and they’re regulated by the WHRC (Washington Horse Racing Commission). Compared to sports betting sites, there are many more options with horse racing.

Betting Markets Available in Washington

Like many legalized states, there are plenty of sports betting options in Washington. Here are some of the most popular betting markets in more detail. 

Moneyline

This type of bet simply means predicting whether or not a particular team or player will win. There are usually two or three outcomes offered: win, lose, or draw where the game allows this.

Parlay

This is a popular sports wager that combines multiple bets together into one. Each individual option is called a leg, and all legs must be successful for the parlay to succeed. Parlays have greater odds compared to individual bets but they also carry a greater risk of not winning.

Over/Under

Over/under bets are also known as ‘totals’. This type of wager is a bet on the combined match score. With an over/under bet, the sportsbook will advertise a projected number of goals or points to be scored by both teams combined. Bettors then choose to bet ‘over’ or ‘under’ this based on their prediction. If they guess right, the bet wins.

Against the Spread

An ‘against the spread’ bet is when a punter wagers on the point or goal difference between two teams. You can choose the underdog to win outright or lose by less than the predicted amount, or for the favorite to win by more than the spread.

Betting Apps Available in Washington

As mentioned previously, due to the laws on sports betting in Washington, state residents can only bet at retail sportsbooks within tribal casinos or on their apps while on the premises. Most retail sportsbooks don’t see the point in creating an app since their punters must be on site anyway. However, Snoqualmie Casino does have a sportsbook app. This is available to download for iOS devices from the App Store. However, Android users will need to download an APK file directly from the Snoqualmie Casino website. 

The app provides users with full functionality of the entire sportsbook. They can place bets, make deposits, conduct withdrawals, and seek support all through the app. 

In terms of betting on the races, punters have more options. Several horse race betting apps are available, including TwinSpires, TVG, and NYRA Bets. All have bonuses and promotions too. For instance, TVG offers $200 back on your first single horse win bet if it doesn’t succeed. There’s also $25 up for grabs for referring a friend. TwinSpires offers a sign-up bonus worth $200 and also has live races with great odds. NYRA Bets offers a $25 free bet to all new customers plus a 50% first deposit match bonus up to $200. This app also has free live streaming of races. 

Payment Methods Available at Washington Betting Sites

If you’re using the Snoqualmie Casino sportsbook app onsite, you’ll need to top it up with cash at the sportsbook itself. With horse racing apps, you’ll have a range of ways to top up your account. Here are some of the payment methods that are commonly available at betting sites and on horse racing apps.

Bank Cards

Bank cards like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover remain one of the most popular ways to top up online sportsbook accounts. When you deposit with a bank card, you should expect your funds to land in your betting wallet almost instantaneously. However, withdrawals with this method have one of the longest processing times, which means you could be waiting a number of days to receive your cash. Depending on the sportsbook, this might be as long as seven business days. 

e-Wallets

This method of payment is particularly popular among younger bettors. Like card payments, e-wallet deposits are credited to your betting funds straight away. Unlike bank cards, however, withdrawals are much quicker. Depending on the e-wallet, you could receive your cash withdrawal in a matter of hours. Popular e-wallets in Washington included PayPal and Venmo. e-Wallets have the added security of keeping your bank details safe, as they’re never shared with the online sportsbook. 

Prepaid Cards

Choosing a prepaid card for sports betting is a wise decision. This way, you have complete control over your spending and you won’t get sucked into emotional betting or chasing losses. Prepaid cards like Paysafecard are available to buy at many retailers. You can get them in different amounts and can even top them up. 

Wire Transfer

A more traditional yet still popular method of funding your sportsbook account is through a bank wire transfer. This is when you log into your online banking service and send funds manually to the sportsbook. The drawback of this is that it does take a little longer to be credited to your account. You’ll also find withdrawals are lengthy too. The main reason to choose a wire transfer is because of the higher limits, so it’s often preferred by particularly high rollers.

Washington Betting Timeline

Sports betting in Washington is still in its infancy and is a continually-developing situation. Here’s a brief timeline of its betting history to date. 

• May 2018: PASPA is struck down by the Supreme Court. This means each state can choose whether or not to legalize sports betting.  
• March 2020: Governor Inslee of Washington signs a bill (HB 2638) legalizing sports betting at Washington’s tribal casinos and it comes into effect immediately. 
• September 2021: The first sportsbook in Washington opens in Snoqualmie Casino and Shawn Kemp of the Seattle Supersonics basketball team is the first to place a legal bet. 
• December 2021: Emerald Queen Casino opens up its BetMGM sportsbook. The state’s first and only online sportsbook app is launched by Snoqualmie Casino, though punters can only use it while on the premises. 
• January 2022: Quilceda Creek Casino and Tulalip Resort Casino partner with DraftKings to launch their retail sportsbooks. 
• February 2022: Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort opens its FanDuel retail sportsbook while Chewelah Casino, Spokane Tribe Casino, and Muckleshoot Casino open Caesars retail sportsbooks. 

Compare Washington Betting Sites and Sign Up

Unlike some states where only online sports betting is allowed (Wyoming and Tennessee for example), Washington exclusively has retail sportsbooks. There is one sports betting app, it’s pretty much an extension of the retail sportsbook as you must be onsite to use it. Besides this, there are several horse racing betting sites as this form of gambling falls under different regulations. 

With retail sportsbook giants like FanDuel, Caesars, and DraftKings present in Washington, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we see more online sportsbooks appear — even if, for the moment, they can only be accessed while physically at a venue. Click through with our link to see what these sites offer. 

Frequently Asked Questions