Gambling In Washington

Online gambling in washington
  1. Gambling In Washington Pa
  2. Gambling In Washington State
  3. Is There Gambling In Washington State
  4. Online Gambling In Washington
  5. Washington Gambling Commission
By Ron Upshaw
July 24, 2018 at 2:38 pm
Gambling In Washington

Washington Casinos, Gambling, and Law Regulations: An Overview The Evergreen State is heaven for gambling fans. Apart from betting on greyhound racing, almost all other land-based forms of gambling will be there waiting for you. However, make sure to follow all the rules and regulations, as Washington has severe penalties for disobeying the law. But gambling on games involving Washington colleges, both public and private, would still be outlawed under the bill. Part of the bill contains a provision to legalize online sports betting within. Whether you’re an employee, a commercial business or a non-profit organization, we’ll show you the forms you’ll need to complete to apply for a gambling license. Gambling Legislation 2021 Read about gambling legislation in Washington and check the status of a bill. The state does not collect a gambling tax. RCW 9.46.110 allows local cities, counties or towns to tax gambling receipts. The maximum limitations are set forth in the law and are listed below. Need Assistance Collecting Gambling Taxes? Casinos in Washington Current page Casinos in Washington; Plan your trip. Washington Travel Guide Washington Hotels Vacation Rentals in Washington Washington Flights Car Rentals in Washington Washington Vacations. COVID-19 alert: Travel requirements are changing rapidly, including need for pre-travel COVID-19 testing and quarantine on arrival.

I’m a poker player. There was a time when you would have to whisper that fact in hushed tones and make sure you watched who you were talking to. That was before the World Series of Poker was televised nationwide on ESPN, and people generally accepted the fact that there is skill involved in the game. That was before there were personal computers in every pocket and very smart people would try and solve the game with algorithms.

RELATED: Ron’s life lessons learned from poker

Did you realize that in the state of Washington it is a Class C Felony to play a hand of poker online for real money? Yes, it is a felony to place an online wager in Washington!

Just to give you some context, here is the explanation of misdemeanors from the Washington State Courts webpage: “Examples of gross misdemeanors are theft of property and driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. Among the many types of misdemeanors are disorderly conduct and prostitution.”

You got that right. A DUI and prostitution are misdemeanors, while placing a wager online is a felony.

Here’s the thing though, people like to gamble. It’s fun, and it can add a little excitement to a dull day. So I was surprised to read on Geekwire that Muckleshoot Casino is rolling out a new app that has a clever work around this draconian online wagering law.

Washington

Here’s how it’s going to work starting in the fall. You download their app to your phone, then physically go to the casino and purchase games with cash money. Then you can leave the casino and play the games anywhere virtually. If you win, you’re winning real money that you collect the next time you’re at the casino.

These won’t be games like poker or roulette, but more like bingo and other games where you’re not playing against the house.

I’m tempted to go on a diatribe on how stupid the state of Washington is for criminalizing an online behavior that is perfectly legal in real life. Instead, I’m going to view this as a positive step.

Hopefully, this will end up in court and the current laws will be thrown out.

Society is slowly losing its judgments about archaic prohibitions from a bygone era. Attitudes are becoming more liberal around the idea of placing a bet for entertainment. Look no further than the recent Supreme Court decision on sports wagering.

Washington state needs to wake up and realize this is a perfectly acceptable tax revenue stream that is no different than ordering your groceries online instead of going to the brick and mortar store. If people want to use their entertainment budget to play a game, isn’t that their business?

Kudos to Muckleshoot for moving this issue forward. Now let’s take the next logical step and allow responsible adults to do online all the things they can legally do in a casino.

You can hear “What are we talking about here?” everyday at 4:45 p.m. on 97.3 FM.

Gambling In Washington Pa

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Introduction to Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 31 tribal casinos with a unique type of electronic player terminal based on scratch tickets controlled by a state-wide Tribal Lottery System (TLS).

All state-tribal compacts set a minimum theoretical payout limit. However, no return statistics are publicly available.

This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.

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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Washington*

The minimum legal gambling age in Washington depends upon the gambling activity:

  • Land-Based Casinos: 18/21 depending upon the casino
  • Poker Rooms: 18
  • Bingo: 18
  • Lottery: 18
  • Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Washington’s player terminals at tribal casinos are based on the lottery’s scratch ticket games in electronic form. This unique form of slot machines makes Washington slot machines unique in the U.S. All other U.S.-based lottery terminals are based on draw lotteries, not from lotteries other game: scratch tickets.

Twenty-nine tribes originally negotiated tribal-state compacts to offer gambling at tribal casinos. However, the state and these tribes could not agree whether Vegas-style slot machines should be legal in Washington.

Scratch-based gaming machines resulted from early negotiations of these gaming compacts. This impasse resolution led to creating a secondary lottery system for player terminals at tribal casinos. The state lottery was a model for the TLS.

Draw-based terminals create tickets at the time of the bet using random number generators (RNGs). However, scratch-based terminals know in advance the result of each wager. Put another way, the outcome of each bet is pre-determined and do not require an RNG.

Another technical difference between lottery draw tickets and scratch tickets is how many of them can exist. For example, there are as many draw tickets as players are willing to buy. However, lotteries create only a limited number of scratch tickets but, hopefully, enough for a busy night at a Washington tribal casino.

All negotiated tribal-state compacts also have other legal restrictions for their scratch-based terminal-style slot machines. These limits have been expanding over time as part of this state’s dynamic gaming industry. The requirements are:

  • Allows replaying of credits won
  • No handles
  • No mechanical spinning wheels
  • A minimum payout return (see below)
  • $5 maximum wager on 85% on VLTs
  • $20 maximum wager on 15% of VLTs
  • Cap of 2,500 VLT machines per tribe

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.

Gambling

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Washington

It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Washington if it is 25 years old or older.

Gaming Control Board in Washington

The gaming control board is the Washington State Gambling Commission offering licensing, regulation, and enforcement of certain aspects of the gaming industry in Washington. Their regulatory responsibilities primarily include testing and approving new electronic gaming machines.

Further, each tribe with a casino in Washington has a tribal gaming agency (TGA). Agents of a TGA are the primary regulators at tribal casinos. At all times, at least one TGA agent must be on duty at a tribal casino.

Casinos in Washington

There are 31 American Indian tribal casinos and multiple cruise ships based in the state of Washington.

The largest casino in Washington is Muckleshoot Casino with 3,125 electronic gaming terminals.

The second-largest casino is Ilani Casino Resort with 2,500 electronic gaming terminals.

Commercial Casinos in Washington

The state of Washington has no commercial casinos with slot machines.

Tribal Casinos in Washington

The state of Washington has 31 tribal casinos:

  1. Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington, 50 miles north of Seattle
  2. BJ’s Bingo & Gaming in Fife near Tacoma
  3. Chewelah Casino in Chewelah, 50 miles north of Spokane
  4. Coulee Dam Casino in Coulee Dam, 40 miles north of Seattle, owned by 12 Tribes Colville Casinos
  5. Elwha River Casino in Port Angeles, 70 miles northwest of Seattle
  6. Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel (EQC) in Fife near Tacoma
  7. Emerald Queen Casino (EQC) I-5 in Tacoma
  8. Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, 25 miles north of Portland near the border to Oregon
  9. Kalispel Casino in Cusick, 53 miles north of Spokane
  10. Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, 23 miles north of Olympia
  11. Lucky Dog Casino in Skokomish, 23 miles north of Olympia
  12. Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel in Rochester, 26 miles south of Olympia
  13. Mill Bay Casino in Manson, 200 miles northeast of Seattle on the north shore of Lake Chelan, owned by 12 Tribes Colville Casinos
  14. Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, 20 miles south of Seattle
  15. Nooksack Northwood Casino in Lynden, 14 miles north of Bellingham
  16. Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights, 10 miles west of Spokane
  17. The Point Casino in Kingston, 18 miles west of Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry
  18. Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub & Casino in Quil Ceda Village, 30 miles north of Seattle
  19. Quinault Beach Resort and Casino in Ocean Shores, 90 miles west of Tacoma
  20. Red Wind Casino in Olympia
  21. 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim, 70 miles northwest of Seattle by ferry
  22. Shoalwater Bay Casino in Tokeland, 75 miles southwest of Olympia
  23. Silver Reef Casino Resort in Ferndale, 17 miles north of Bellingham
  24. Skagit Valley Casino Resort in Bow, 75 miles north of Seattle
  25. Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, 30 miles east of Seattle
  26. Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, 9 miles west of Spokane
  27. Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, 15 miles west of Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry
  28. Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Anacortes, 70 miles north of Seattle
  29. Tulalip Casino in Quil Ceda Village, 30 miles north of Seattle
  30. 12 Tribes Casino in Omak, 165 miles northeast of Seattle, owned by 12 Tribes Colville Casinos
  31. Yakama Legends Casino in Toppenish, 20 miles south of Yakama

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Washington slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Washington is:

  • North: The Canadian Province of British Columbia
  • East: Idaho Slots
  • South: Oregon Slots
  • West: The Pacific Ocean

Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Washington.

Our Washington Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Washington? If so, join our Washington slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Washington. Join us!

Payout Returns in Washington

The TLS directly controls the results of Washington’s unique terminal-style slot machines. TLS’ central computer system provides the outcome of each bet made on each terminal at the time of the wager. This off-site control extends to any bonus rounds.

All tribal-state compacts in Washington established a minimum theoretical payout of 75% for slot machines. Further, no return statistics for slots are available to the public.

Summary of Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 31 tribal casinos with electronic scratch ticket video player terminal slot machines. The state-run Tribal Lottery System (TLS) controls the results of all bets offsite from the tribal casinos.

Tribal-state compacts have set a minimum theoretical payout of 75% for their unique terminal-style electronic slot machines. No return statistics are available to the public.

Gambling

Annual Progress in Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Over the last year, Tulalip Resort Casino with its 2,400 gaming machines has dropped from second largest casino to third largest, replaced by Ilani Casino Resort with its 2,500 gaming machines.

Gambling In Washington State

Further, two tribal casinos have opened within the last year, including Kalispel Casino in Cusick located 53 miles north of Spokane and Spokane Tribe Casino located in Airway Heights a few miles west of Spokane.

Is There Gambling In Washington State

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Online Gambling In Washington

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Washington Gambling Commission

Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC