Washington State's Gambling Landscape
Washington State has no legal online gambling. Online gambling is a Class C felony and it is illegal to engage in gambling activity over the internet or via telephone. This includes online sports betting as well as online casino games such as blackjack, poker, roulette, and slots. Washington State does permit licensed tribal casinos to offer gambling on Native American land within tribal communities. There are 22 federally recognized Native American tribes in Washington State and as of 2025, there are 29 tribal casinos across Washington State. These are casinos operated by Native American tribes and offer electronic games and table games. Since 2021 when the first tribal casino opened on-site sports wagering, legal sports wagering may be available at tribal casinos as long as it is constrained via geofence to the casino boundaries. This is the only legal form of sports wagering available in Washington State. Other forms of gambling throughout the state include the Washington State Lottery that provides various games (across more than 3,600 lottery outlets), two horse tracks, over 40 commercial house-banked card rooms, and a limited number of charity games and charitable bingo halls.
Scope of Gambling Addiction in Washington State
In 2021, the Washington State Health Care Authority conducted an Adult Problem Gambling Prevalence study that found that 43.5% of adult residents had participated in gambling in the past 12 months. The study found that of all adults (those who gambled and those who didn’t), 1.5% had a moderate-to-severe risk level of developing a gambling addiction or Gambling Disorder (DSM-5). Among those who gambled, 3.5% were at a moderate-to-severe risk (approximately 90,000 individuals) with another 16.5% at an increased risk (approximately 420,000 individuals). The study also identified that for individuals gambling online, their risk level was three times (3x) higher for developing a gambling addiction than those gambling at brick-and-mortar facilities (including purchasing Lottery tickets). Additionally, the risk significantly increased for a person gambling in multiple ways, such as regularly purchasing lottery tickets, wagering at commercial card rooms, and also gambling online. Finally, Young Adults who gambled were twice as likely to be at moderate-to-severe risk for a gambling addiction.
In December 2022, the joint legislative Problem Gambling Task Force (PGTF) submitted a Final Recommendations Report with appendices to the Washington State Legislature.
For further information, please contact the Washington State Problem Gambling Program.
