Washington Sports Betting

While currently available on the grounds of tribal casinos, sports betting is legal and live in Washington State, having launched in September 2021. Governor Jay Inslee signed HB 2638 to legalize sports betting in March 2020. This decision was surprising given that many state officials and residents have been traditionally opposed to sports betting.

The first WA operator to offer sports betting was Snoqualmie Casino, with its retail sportsbook opening right off the bat on September 9, 2021. Snoqualmie has also since launched a mobile sportsbook app, but you’ll need to verify your location and place bets in a geofenced area on tribal grounds. The Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) regulates sportsbooks in WA.

Since the launch of retail sportsbooks, major US gambling players have joined the market. At present, ten operators accept bets in Washington tribal casinos, including BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel. DraftKings became the latest sportsbook operator to open a facility at the Tulalip Resort Casino and Quil Ceda Creek Casino.

Read our complete guide to Washington sports betting. Our experts examine the legislative history of gambling in the state, the tribal casinos accepting bets, sportsbook partners, and the status of legal betting in Washington’s bordering states. We also cover the most popular sports with bettors and some sports events held in the state.

Washington Legislation Timeline

• May 14, 2018: The US Supreme Court strikes down PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992), giving each state the power to legalize sports betting.
• January 16, 2020: HB 2638, a bipartisan bill to legalize sports betting at tribal casinos, is introduced to the Washington State Legislature.
• March 7, 2020: HB 2638 passes the House by a vote of 83-14 after both Houses make amendments. As the Senate passed the bill by 34-15 two days prior, the bill is sent to Governor to sign into law.
• March 26, 2020: Governor Jay Inslee signs HB 2638 into law. It comes into effect immediately due to an emergency clause in the bill.
• September 9, 2021: Snoqualmie Casino opens the first retail sportsbook in Washington. Shawn Kemp, the former professional basketball player, places the first legal bet in WA history.
• December 20, 2021: BetMGM opens its retail sportsbook at Emerald Queen Casino. It is the largest retail sportsbook in the state.
• December 20, 2021: The Snoqualmie Casino launches a sportsbook app that bettors can use on tribal grounds. It is Washington State’s first sportsbook app.
• February 5, 2022: FanDuel opens a retail sportsbook at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort.
• February 10, 2022: Caesars opens a retail sportsbook at Muckleshoot Casino, Spokane Tribe Casino, and Chewelah Casino.
• September 23, 2022: DraftKings opens its retail sportsbook site, announced in January 2022. Sportsbooks open at Tulalip Resort Casino and Quil Ceda Creek Casino.

Popular Sports to bet on in WA

Fans and bettors in Washington State have plenty of choices when it comes to professional sports. Three major professional leagues have teams in the state’s largest city, Seattle: the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, MLB’s Seattle Mariners, and the newest professional franchise in the city, NHL’s Seattle Kraken. There’s also professional women’s basketball in town, the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. Other sports teams, like the MLS’s Seattle Sounders, are popular with bettors, too.

Washington State is also home to two prominent college football programs: Pac-12’s University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars. However, WA legislation prohibits betting on collegiate sports. 

Below is a guide to some of the most popular leagues and sports for betting in WA.

NFL Betting in Washington

Football is the most popular sport with bettors nationwide. Naturally, the most followed NFL team in Washington State is the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976 as part of the National Football Conference but soon moved to the American Football Conference West Division in 1977. In 2001, they re-joined the NFC West as part of the 2002 NFL Realignment.

Seattle fans are known for being some of the loudest in the NFL. In fact, the team has twice registered a Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event. The first was during the game against the San Francisco 49ers in 2013, and the second was a few months later against New Orleans Saints.

The team won one Super Bowl in 2013, three conference championships, and eleven divisional championships. With markets like money lines, player props, and futures, NFL betting is hugely popular with WA bettors.

NBA Betting in Washington

Professional basketball in Washington is a touchy subject, as Seattle’s NBA side, the SuperSonics, was controversially relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Sonics played in the Evergreen State from 1967-2008, winning one NBA championship in 1979.

The City of Seattle retains ownership of the franchise’s logo, color scheme, and trophies. The city has made attempts to return NBA action to the city. Numerous sides have explored relocation to Seattle, so it is unlikely that the SuperSonics name has disappeared forever.

For now, WA plays host to the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, originally the sister team of the SuperSonics. The Storm has won four conference championships and two conference titles in the Evergreen State.

With plenty of interest in NBA action in the city, bettors can place wagers on futures in the WNBA and NBA, like the Storm winning another championship to add to its collection.

NHL Betting in Washington

The NHL is the newest major league sport to have a franchise calling Seattle home. The league granted an expansion team to Seattle in December 2018; in July 2020, its ownership group revealed the name of the franchise as the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken is the first Seattle hockey franchise since the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Totems, which won the Stanley Cup in 1917.

The Kraken plays its home games at Climate Pledge Arena. Its inaugural game was in October 2021, a 4-3 loss to a fellow recent addition to the NHL, Vegas Golden Knights. With Seattle expected to become a force in hockey in the coming years, hockey betting will surely increase in popularity in the Evergreen State.

MLB Betting in Washington

Seattle Mariners, the state’s MLB franchise, plays baseball in the American League West Division, joining as an expansion team in 1977. The Mariners are the only active MLB side to have never appeared in a World Series, now the longest active World Series drought in the MLB.

The lack of a World Series win hasn’t stopped the M’s from achieving success – with baseball superstar Ken Griffey Jr. lighting up the league in Seattle between 1989-1999. Known as “Junior,” Griffey Jr. was part of history while in Seattle, leading Seattle to the 1995 American League Divisional Series against the Yankees, an iconic moment in the team’s history.

The Mariners also set a record for the most American League wins in 2001 with a 116-46 record led by outfield Ichiro Suzuki. The team would wait another 21 years to make the postseason again after 2001 but returned to the MLB playoffs in 2022. With Baseball so prevalent in the Evergreen State, betting on the Mariners to win its first World Series will have plenty of interest.

NCAA Betting in Washington

Washington State is home to two Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) college athletics programs: the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars. Unfortunately, Huskies and Cougars fans will be disappointed if they want to bet on their teams in WA – legislation prohibits bets on in-state college teams.

Despite the restriction on betting on home college teams, plenty of markets will interest bettors looking to place a wager on collegiate athletics. Washington Sports Betting allows bets on tournaments like the College Football Playoff and March Madness, as well as on any out-of-state contests and teams.

Where can I Bet on Sports in Washington?

Excluding Snoqualmie Casino’s dedicated sportsbook app that users can access on tribal grounds, no mobile apps with availability state-wide have launched in Washington. However, the state is well served for sports betting through its tribal casinos. With regulation from the Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC), the state’s sportsbooks adhere to the strict player security standards set by the gambling authority and are safe for all. 

Ten retail sportsbooks have opened in Washington State since the launch of sports betting in September 2021. Major national operators like DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, and Caesars all have retail facilities open at the state’s tribal casinos. Below is a list of all the retail sportsbooks in WA.

Bordering States

Washington bettors looking to travel to neighboring states only have one option to bet legally – Oregon. The Oregon Lottery operates a sportsbook in partnership with DraftKings in the state, and it is available nearly state-wide: it is only unavailable for use on tribal land. Elsewhere, the only other state bordering Washington, Idaho, does not have legal sports betting.

Oregon

Both mobile and retail sports betting is available in neighboring Oregon. Mobile betting is available through the DraftKings Sportsbook app, operated in association with Oregon Lottery. The Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City and The Mills Casino in Coos Bay offer retail sports betting.

To bet on sports in OR, you’ll need to be over 21. You can bet on all professional sports, but sports betting on college teams is prohibited. The Oregon Lottery operates sports betting with DraftKings and oversees the state’s tribal casino sportsbooks.

While you can register for the DraftKings Oregon sportsbook out-of-state, you must be physically within state lines to bet. The DraftKings app is available nearly state-wide but is unavailable on tribal lands. 

Idaho

There is no way to bet on sports in neighboring Idaho legally. Plus, there hasn’t been a significant legislative effort to introduce sports betting, so it is unlikely to arrive in the state any time soon.

Still, there are a few options for legal sports betting should Idaho’s lawmakers pass sports betting legislation. The state has seven tribal casinos and a simulcast racing facility that could enable sports betting to launch. Alternatively, the state could opt to establish an online-exclusive sports betting industry, like Tennessee.

Washington Sports Events

In addition to its professional sports teams, Washington’s largest city, Seattle, has hosted several premier sporting events. These include MMA and pro-wrestling events and a historic college football rivalry. 

UFC Fight Night

Washington State has held three Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, all three taking place at Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle. The first event was UFC Fight Night 24 in March 2011. A crowd of 13,741 watched as Phil Davis defeated Antônio Rogério Nogueira on a unanimous points decision.

UFC on Fox 5, the first of two UFC on Fox events, was held at the Climate Pledge Arena in December 2012 in front of 14,387, a record for a UFC event in the city. Spectators saw Benson Henderson, lightweight Champion, defeating Nate Diaz by a unanimous points decision.

Finally, UFC on Fox 8 was held in WA in July 2013, when 8,967 watched Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson defeat John Moraga by armbar submission.

WWE Events

Seattle has also held several World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events, including one of the “Big Five” events considered the promoter’s most prestigious. The first was in March 2003, when T-Mobile Park hosted the biggest event of the wrestling calendar, WrestleMania XIX. The crowd of 54,097 was, at the time, the largest in WrestleMania history.

Spectators packed into the home of the Seattle Mariners to watch The Rock defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan defeat Vince McMahon. McMahon had declared Hulkamania over, replaced by McMahonamania, and ordered the wrestling legend to retire from the WWE if he lost a street fight.

Six years after WrestleMania, WWE returned to Seattle in February 2009 as 11,200 attended the No Way Out Event at Climate Pledge Arena. The event saw Edge defeat Jeff Hardy, Triple H, The Undertaker, The Big Show, and Vladimir Kozlov in a battle royale. In May 2011, Over the Limit was held in Seattle, as John Cena retained Raw’s WWE Championship by defeating The Miz.

Finally, after eight years, the Tacoma Dome was the venue for ‘Stomping Grounds,’ a one-off event that replaced the ‘Backlash’ event in June 2019. A crowd of 6,000 watched as Seth Rollins defeated Baron Corbin to retain Raw’s Universal Championship, with Lacey Evans as a special guest referee.

Apple Cup

Contested between the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars, the Apple Cup is an annual college football rivalry game played on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

First held in 1900, the two schools have met annually since 1945. Both are members of the Pacific-12 Conference. In 1934, the teams played for the Governor’s Trophy before the Apple Cup was donated to the two schools by the Washington Apple Commission in 1963.

The Huskies have been dominant in the game for much of the Apple Cup’s history. Washington has the longest winning streak in the game, with eight, while Washington State’s longest winning streak over the Huskies has been just two games. Washington has two claimed and three unclaimed national championships. Washington State has yet to win a national championship.