Washington State Gambling Law

In the state of Washington, the penal code 90.46.010 defines the laws associated with gambling endeavors within the state.  In Washington, pari mutuel wagering is legalized, but grey hound and dog racing is against the law.  Due to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, casinos can be operated by Native American peoples residing in the state provided that the sites are established on Native American lands.  All other casino operations are banned within the state of Washington.  Meanwhile, charity organizations can legally hold and conduct raffles, fishing derbies, promotional contests, turkey shoots, sweepstake entries for bowling or golfing contests, and bingo gaming.  Social gambling is legalized in the State of Washington as well.  As of June 7, 2006, any and all Internet gaming and gambling endeavors involving money are strictly prohibited for residents of Washington State.

“The Evergreen State” has lots of land based gambling establishments which is a good thing considering online gaming and gambling endeavors have been made illegal.  At least the gambling hopeful can enjoy what gaming offers are to be found within the boundaries of Washington State without having to travel beyond the state border to do so.  Currently, 138 land and water based gambling operations supply the gambling hopeful with an array of wonderful gaming diversity.  The cities of Lakewood and Shoreline currently house at least four casinos each, so the casinos are not greatly distanced from one another.  Seattle, Washington is home to a number of gambling cruises as well where the gambling hopeful can hop on board an enjoy a day on the waters gambling till his or her heart is truly content.  Table games, pull tabs, and a variety of gaming machines are to be enjoyed in a variety of land and water based gambling facilities.  However, the gambler may have to do a little casino hopping to get a real sample of gaming diversity; not all casinos offer a complete array of gambling options and it may be necessary to travel from one casino to the next to find preferable gaming options.

While “The Evergreen State,” has forbidden the use of online gambling sites for its residence, it has not forbidden free play endeavors that gambling fans can enjoy and practice with.  In addition, visiting online gambling sites doesn’t hurt a gambler when it comes to learning more about gaming, how to play different games, how to implement different strategies and techniques and how to master gaming odds.  Thus, a resident of Washington can still derive some great benefits from a visit to one or more virtual gaming sites online.