Washington has legalized sports betting on reservation lands of federally recognized Native American tribes in the state. It is technically available in both retail and online formats, but the vast majority of sports betting in the state occurs in person. Only one location in the state has its own on-site mobile sports betting app: the Snoqualmie Casino.
All of the legal sportsbooks in Washington are located at tribal casinos. Roughly half of such casinos in the state have or will soon have sportsbooks.
State of Washington Sports Betting Overview
Because Washington sports betting law is so restrictive about where you can bet, most tribes have confined their sports betting options to their retail gambling facilities. To date, only a single sportsbook app offering online sports betting promos has launched in Washington.
The Snoqualmie Casino sportsbook app allows players to make their wagers from anywhere on the casino’s premises. While restricting the use of an app to players physically at the same casino seems to defeat the point of a mobile sportsbook, it does offer bettors the chance to make in-play wagers and — to an extent — is more convenient than filing a bet at the teller window.
While there are no other sportsbook apps live in Washington at the moment, a few top online books are partnered with some of the other tribes around the state. In many cases, they are serving as the brand name and/or using their technology to power the retail sports betting operations at these locations. So, although there is no news about new sportsbook apps coming to Washington soon, they might show up at some point.
In addition to these partnerships, Little Creek Casino Resort is allied with sports betting technology provider IGT. Whether this partnership will lead to an app is unclear.
Sports betting became legal in Washington by virtue of the passage of HB 2638. The bill went to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk in March 2020 after passing both chambers of the Washington Legislature convincingly. Inslee’s signature on the bill rendered it into law on March 25, 2020.
The first location to accept a legal sports bet in the state was the Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie. The successful wager marked the end of a year-and-a-half of preparation.
The text of the law made each of the state’s federally recognized Native American tribes eligible to offer sports betting on their reservation lands. They must apply to amend their gambling compacts, but any tribal groups with casino locations may do so. However, Washington sports betting is currently the subject of a lawsuit between Maverick Sports and the federal government. Maverick is appealing a District Court ruling that Maverick was incorrect in assessing the validity of Washington compacts that permitted tribes in the state to offer sports betting. The result of the lawsuit could change who can offer sports betting in Washington in the future.
The current law allows both retail and online sports betting. However, the law strictly limits sports betting activity to actual tribal lands, no matter how it occurs. So, although the law technically allows online sportsbooks, the reality is that it sets up a mostly retail market.
Washington’s sportsbooks can offer wagering on almost any type of event. The law mentions professional sports, college sports, esports, and the Olympics as acceptable fodder for a bet. The only exceptions are wagers involving in-state colleges and universities and minor league games. So, you can’t bet on the University of Washington Huskies, the Washington State Cougars, or any other state school.
State of Washington Sports Betting Timeline
July 7, 2023: Maverick Gaming filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding its challenge to Washington’s tribal exclusivity for sports betting and casino gambling.
March 29, 2023: DraftKings announces the launch of its DK Horse app in Washington ahead of the Kentucky Derby.
Feb. 21, 2023: A federal court shoots down a proposal from Maverick Gaming to change a law permitting legalized sports betting in tribal casinos only.
Jan. 25, 2023: Lawmakers file a bill that would expand legal WA sports betting to card rooms and racetracks.
Feb. 10, 2022: Caesars announces its arrival by opening retail Washington sportsbooks at Spokane Tribe Casino and Muckleshoot Casino just in time for Super Bowl 56.
Feb. 4, 2022: Suquamish Clearwater Casino unveils its 2,000+ square-foot FanDuel Sportsbook to the betting public with a 4 p.m. PT ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Jan. 19, 2022: DraftKings reaches an agreement with the Tulalip Tribes of Washington to bring retail sportsbooks to Tulalip Resort Casino and Quil Ceda Creek Casino. The state sets itself up to become DraftKings’ 19th market with either a retail or online sportsbook.
Jan. 11, 2022: Maverick Gaming LLC files a lawsuit in U.S. District Court to invalidate agreements made between Washington state and its Indian tribes. The lawsuit claims tribes were unlawfully given exclusive rights to offer sports betting, among other types of gambling.
Jan. 10, 2022: SB 5212 is reintroduced with the aim of bringing legal sports betting to Washington racetracks and card rooms. The proposal includes mobile betting — but bettors would need to be on-site at a racetrack or cardroom to make wagers.
Dec. 29, 2021: Snoqualmie Casino becomes the first retail location in the state to launch a mobile sports betting app.
Dec. 20, 2021: EQC Sportsbook (BetMGM) opens a retail location at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma.
Dec. 4, 2021: Northern Quest Casino, owned and operated by the Kalispel Tribe, in Airway Heights became the state’s third retail sports betting venue.
Dec. 1, 2021: The Stillaguamish Tribe-owned Angel of the Winds Casino in Arlington welcomed sports bettors for the first time.
November 2021: Washington ports betting, limited to tribal casinos, is on pace to become a $94 million industry within the next five years, according to a Washington State University study.
Sept. 28, 2021: FanDuel Group announces a partnership with the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort, including dedicated on-site sportsbook plans.
Sept. 9, 2021: Snoqualmie Tribe becomes the state’s first to launch retail sports betting at its Snoqualmie Casino outside Seattle.
March 25, 2021: Gov. Jay Inslee signs Washington sports betting bill HB 2638 into law, which permits sports wagering at tribal casinos.