Online Casinos in Washington State & WA Gambling Laws 2021

Washington has an interesting history when it comes to gambling. While online gambling is currently not an option in a regulated manner in the state, there are many offshore online casinos in Washington that you can play. This guide looks at all of the different aspects of using these types of casinos.

Top 3 Online Casinos For Players From Washington, USA

Here are some of the leading online casinos that people in Washington like to use, allowing them to play their favorite casino games:

  • Slot Title
  • Pay Back
  • Key Features
Bonus for first nine deposits, up to $5,000

  • Casino Payout: 97.92%
  • Payout Speed: 1-3 days
Bonus for first nine deposits, up to $5,000Play NowOur score:
Bonus for first nine deposits, up to $5,000
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Welcome Offer Up To $3,000

  • Payout rate: 97.89%
  • Payout Speed: 2-4 days
Welcome Offer Up To $3,000Play NowOur score:
Welcome Offer Up To $3,000
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200% Welcome Bonus of Up to $2,000

  • Payout rate: 91%
  • Payout Speed: 1-2 days
200% Welcome Bonus of Up to $2,000Play NowOur score:
200% Welcome Bonus of Up to $2,000
Read more

Are Online Casinos in Washington Legal? No!

Washington has an interesting history when it comes to gambling laws. It was in 2006 that the state made it a felony for people to play online poker and online casino games. However, there are many different types of gambling options for you to try out for yourself.

There are a lot of Indian casinos in Washington state, with more than 20 tribes having a hand in different gaming operations. The vast majority of these tribal casinos will be in the western portion of Washington. These casinos are generally quite small and many only provide table game options. The hours are often limited and the table could be a bit limited. However there are still about 33,000 slot machines at casinos around the state. Online Casinos in Washington

Qualifying charities are able to offer raffles and bingo once they get proper licensing. The Washington state lottery has been around since 1982 and offers a decent selection of games, including Powerball, Mega Millions, scratch-offs and keno.

While greyhound racing is illegal in the state, there is live horse racing at two tracks in the track, with off-track betting facilities also being available. There are cardrooms in the state where you can play popular poker games, with social card games also being legal.

Washington state online gambling

It was in 2006 that a constitutional amendment was made in Washington that brought in felony charges for any person found to be using an online gambling platform. This charge carries as many as five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. However, to date there has never been someone prosecuted for playing online poker or online casinos in Washington. It can be tricky to find a lot of out-of-state online casinos that will cater to people in Washington as a result of these strict laws.

Our Recommended Online Casino in Washington

Our Rating

  • Game library of 400+ titles
  • Superb design
  • Welcome bonus up to $5,000
  • Customer support open around the clock
Slots.lv Online Casino

Top 3 online casinos sites that accept Washington players

There are a number of choices open to Washington residents if they are looking for an online casino to play their favorite games. While there are strict laws in place, many people go ahead with it anyway. Here are three of the leading online casinos in Washington we have handpicked using our selection criteria that is outlined further on in this article:

1. Slots.lv Casino - Game library of 400+ titles ($5,000 welcome bonus)

Slots.lv Casino first launched in 2012 and it currently holds a license from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. The library of games range over 400 titles, with this selection being better than a lot of the other options that are out there today on the unregulated market. One of a few leading game developers contributing games to Slots.lv Casino is NetEnt. As well as video slots, there is also a nice range of table games and video poker.

The live casino is one of the highlights of Slots.lv Casino, with many great variants of popular table games and a wide range of betting limits being open to you. The speed of payouts is decent and you have access to around the clock customer support. If you are creating a Slots.lv Casino account for the first time, there is a welcome package that allows you to get as much as $5,000 in bonus funds.

Our Rating

  • Game library of 400+ titles
  • Superb design
  • Welcome bonus up to $5,000
  • Customer support open around the clock
  • No mobile app

2. Ignition Casino - Popular bitcoin casino (Deposit bonus up to $1,000)

Ignition Casino has been live since 2016, being licensed in Curacao and located in Costa Rica. It is powered by RealTime Gaming and Rival Gaming, with a game library spanning more than 300 different titles. Most of your bases are covered for the video slots section, with progressive slots and proprietary choices being available. Casino poker and table games are also catered for through a number of different variants, as well as having bingo, keno and video poker options. The selection of payment methods is pretty good, with everything from Visa and Mastercard to bitcoin being supported.

There are plenty of different ways to contact the customer support team, with live chat being the quickest. The gameplay experience across the board at Ignition Casino is very good, no matter if you are playing on desktop or on mobile. For new players, the welcome bonus allows you to get up to $1,000 through the deposit bonus welcome offer.

Our Rating

  • Library of 300+ games
  • Smooth gameplay on all devices
  • Good selection of payment methods
  • Welcome bonus up to $1,000
  • Table games a bit limited

3. BoVegas Casino - Quality games on offer ($2,000 welcome bonus)

BoVegas Casino has been around since 2016 and is a leading option for those people in Washington. It holds a license in Curacao and RealTime Gaming is the main software provider. There are hundreds of games to check out, with many leading titles in the field of video slots being on offer, such as Cleopatra’s Gold and Aztec’s Millions. Table games and video poker options are also aplenty. For live dealer fans, there is a nice selection of variants with betting limits that will be suitable for beginners and high rollers alike.

The gameplay experience is top notch no matter what type of device you are using. If you are looking to create a new account, you can get a welcome bonus of up to $2,000 that allows you to kick off on the right foot.

Our Rating

  • Great variety of games
  • Welcome bonus up to $2,000
  • Seamless gameplay
  • Quality titles on offer
  • Site is a bit dated

How we rate the best casinos in Washington state

There are many different ways that people like to assess a given online casino platform. There may be certain areas where they focus on more than others.

Whatever the case may be, it is usually a good idea to look at all important aspects of an offering starting off, making sure that it will fit into your broad idea of an ideal platform before getting too niche narrowing down options. Here are some of the key criteria we look at for online casinos in Washington:

  • Selection of game types
  • Range of games per game type
  • Mobile device compatibility
  • Welcome bonus package
  • Promotions for current players
  • Rewards program
  • Platform ease of use
  • Quality of the gameplay
  • Availability of customer support
  • Variety of payment methods
  • Security and licensing

What to consider when choosing an online casino site

As soon as you have developed a shortlist of potential online casinos that appear to be a decent fit for your needs, you can then take a closer look at these platforms.

It is a good idea to figure out what you value the most in an online casino and use these couple of preferences as a guiding tool to help you pinpoint a single online casino. Here are some key areas for you to look at when looking at online casinos in Washington:

Legal standing

You want to ensure that the online casino you are using treats you fairly with the gameplay and keeps your data safe and there are no issues with withdrawing funds from your account.

Promotions

Signing up for a new online casino account most always sees you get access to some sort of welcome bonus package. There are often promotions for current account holders, as well as a rewards program.

Payment options

The payment options offered by online casinos can differ significantly. You may want to use a certain type of method and ensure that it is cheap and fast to use.

Customer support

Having quick and quality access to customer support is ideal in case you ever run into a problem. You want all issues quickly resolved and not having to be hanging around waiting too long.

Payout rates

Playing online casinos is great fun, but you also want to make some monetary returns also. You can check the payout rates of a given online casino to see what your probability of winning over time may be.

Software providers

There are a lot of great software developers for online casino games. You can figure out how good a game library is a lot of the time by seeing what developers have titles available on it.

The future of online gambling in Washington state

There has been some movement on the topic of legalizing sports betting in Washington, potentially making online betting an option also. In recent years, there have also been attempts to legalize online poker, but these have often failed without making much headway.

It does not look like legal online casinos in Washington will be a reality any time soon. However, these things can quickly change, so it is worth keeping an eye on the latest news and changes in Washington.

Where else is online gambling legal in the US

Every year there are more and more states that have some type of legal gambling available in their region. While some have online sports betting, some have online casino options in a regulated market. A lot of lawmakers are waking up to the significant revenues that can be garnered through taxes on online gambling, particularly as a lot of the money goes to so-called black market operators.

Over time, more states than not will likely have legal online gambling, so it is worth keeping an eye on. Here is a map showcasing the online gambling situation in each of the states in the US:

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Play the best online casino games online

With the online casinos in Washington, there are many different casino games you are able to try out. If you are a complete beginner or need to brush up on some of your knowledge, where are a few guides that will help you along the way:

Bottom line on casinos in Washington state

Washington is very restrictive about online gambling in the state, so those people who do decide themselves to partake in it using offshore sites need to be careful. If you do go down this route, there are numerous safe and enjoyable online casinos in Washington for you to sign up for. You can get access to some great games and enticing bonus offers.

FAQs

Are there legal casinos in Washington?

Yes, there are many tribal casinos in Washington, with more than 20 tribes having gaming operations. A lot of these are small establishments and many only offer table games.

What is the legal gambling age in Washington?

There is currently no set gambling age for properties in Washington. Tribal casinos allow people who are at least 18 years old to gamble at the facilities, with commercial casinos in Washington usually having a minimum age of 21 years old in place.

Is online gambling legal in Washington?

In Washington, a person caught gambling online will face felony charges carrying as much as five years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000. There are some offshore online casinos that cater for players in the region.

Is sports betting legal in Washington?

While the activity is not currently legal in Washington, there have been a number of sports betting bills making headway in the region. Many experts predict that there will be legal betting in place in the state within the next few years.

Is there mobile gambling available in Washington?

While online gambling is not currently legal, some of the out-of-state online casinos will offer mobile-compatible platforms, whether it is through downloading an app or simply playing through the web browser of your mobile device.

About Andrew O'Malley

Alex has been writing about the gambling industry for more than five years, covering everything from sports betting to casinos and poker. With the sector constantly evolving, he loves nothing better than staying up to date with the latest movers and shakers in the space.