Best Washington Sportsbooks April 2024
| Online Sportsbooks · States · Washington |
The state of Washington is home to more than 7 million people and is aptly named after George Washington. The current condition of Washington online sports betting is that it is legal, but there is still the issue of how to handle licensing and regulatory structures. You'll hopefully be able to bet online by the end of 2021. Until then, here's a list of states that have legalized online sports betting.
WHY CAN'T I BET ON SPORTS ONLINE IN WASHINGTON STATE?
Washington is dipping its toes into the world of online gambling, similarly to its Pacific Northwest compatriots Oregon and California. None of the three West Coast states have a fully-formed online sports betting market, with only Oregon offering betting through a mobile app (the DraftKings-branded app run by the Oregon Lottery). However, recent forays into legal betting mean that Washington residents and visitors may be able to bet on sports online soon...
CONTENTS
- Most Likely Washington Online Sports Betting Sites
- Washington Betting Laws
- Recent Sports Betting News in WA
- Washington Online Sports Betting: Events and Betting Markets
- Common Payment Options
- Washington Casinos
- Washington Horse Racing
- Final Thoughts on Betting in Washington
- Washington Online Sports Betting FAQ
TOP WASHINGTON SPORTSBOOKS
With the prospect of Washington online sports betting becoming a legalized platform, some of the top sports betting sites are preparing to start servicing their new player base. The most likely sports betting sites include BetMGM, FanDuel, and FOX Bet. Let’s take a further look at them below.
BETMGM
BetMGM is one of the top sports betting sites and also provides its players with an online casino. It features both a website and a mobile app.
BetMGM is making its way to the evergreen state! Stated on October 4th, 2021, BetMGM announced it's partnership with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. They will make their way into the retail sports betting scene at the Emerald Queen Casino.
As of now, mobile sports betting is still not yet legalized, but these advancements are showing improvement for the future. Look for BetMGM to be one of the first in the market for online sports betting when it does become legal in Washington.
FANDUEL
FanDuel is a New York City-based bookmaker and daily fantasy sports provider. It was founded in 2009 and is the second-largest daily fantasy sports service in the U.S., behind DraftKings. In 2016, the two operators reached an agreement to merge. Alas, the merger was terminated in 2017 due to the Federal Trade Commission arguing that it would create a monopoly.
FanDuel is another one of the top sports betting sites that could soon become a Washington online sportsbook. The FanDuel sportsbook features around 16 different major U.S. sports that you can wager on. These include football, basketball, baseball, soccer, golf, boxing, and motorsports, to name a few. These sports would do very well in Washington online sports betting.
FOX BET
FOX Bet is a relatively new operator, having only officially opened for business in September 2018.
While FOX Bet may not be a recognizable name just yet, its parent companies certainly are. The possible Washington online sportsbook is the product of a partnership between FOX and PokerStars. The sportsbook is, in essence, a rebrand.
FOX Bet offers wagering on the following sports: baseball, basketball, boxing, UFC, cricket, cycling, darts, football, golf, hockey, motorsports, rugby, soccer, and tennis. As you can see, the list is rather extensive. It follows this up by offering its players many different betting types, such as point spreads, moneylines, futures, parlays, and round robins.
Fox Bet offers its players a well-groomed mobile app that is filled with useful features like in-play betting, live statistics, and score updates.
WASHINGTON SPORTS BETTING LAWS
Washington online sports betting had been illegal in the state since the Gambling Act was first passed. Over 30 years ago, 100 sports pool boards were approved, and this had since been the only sports betting that is permitted in the state of Washington. However, a March 2020 decision and recent clarifying decisions from the Washington State government mean that bets might be available online very soon.
In March 2020, Washington tribes were given the authority to offer sports wagering. Now, over a year later, it looks like that practice will finally take effect.
The Washington State Gambling Commission established their proposed ruleset in June 2021, and it's expected that these rules will be approved. When sports betting does finally go live in Washington, registration will be required in-person at local casinos, after which users will be expected to be able to use mobile apps and personal computers.
However, we're still waiting on final rules and licenses to begin to be issued, so there's no hard date on when Washington sports betting will officially go online. We'll keep you updated.
Updated on : 04/24/2024
WASHINGTON ONLINE SPORTS BETTING: EVENTS & BETTING MARKETS
COMMON TYPES OF BETS
WIN BETS & MONEYLINE BETS
A bet where your team only needs to win. The point spread is replaced by odds. Win bets and moneyline bets are interchangeable terms; “win bet” is used globally, while “moneyline bet” is a U.S. term. A win bet is one of the most popular wagers, mainly because it’s easy to understand and is thought of as the traditional way to bet.
PARLAY
A parlay, or accumulators, are known as multiples. This is a wager that involves making more than one selection. For example, if you want to back five baseball teams to each win their next game, you would include all five teams in the parlay.
Wagers like this are challenging to win, mainly because you have to get every selection correct. Even if just one choice is wrong, the entire wager is a loser. The flipside is that the returns can be very high if you do win.
FUTURES
Future bets and outright bets both describe the same thing. With this bet, you select the winner of an entire tournament, competition, or league. Most of the time, you make this pick ahead of the sporting event, which is why the term “futures” is used.
MOST POPULAR SPORTS TO BET ON
Washington is one of 13 cities in the U.S. with teams from all four major professional men’s sports, as well as one major professional women’s team.
It is home base to an NFL team (the Seattle Seahawks), an MLB team (the Seattle Mariners), and an NHL team (the Seattle Kraken). There is one women’s NBA team (the Seattle Storm).
It’s a safe bet to say that the most popular sports in future Washington online sports betting are football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. In addition to the major sports, local bettors can also find action on women’s football, rugby, hockey, and basketball.
POPULAR WASHINGTON EVENTS
Many of the state’s popular events focus on sports. Events that attract the crowds include:
- The Super Bowl (football)
- World Series (baseball)
- Major League Soccer Finals (soccer)
BEST TEAMS TO BET ON
As would be expected, the best teams to bet on are those that are based in Washington itself. These would be:
- Seattle Seahawks (football)
- Seattle Mariners (baseball)
- Seattle Kraken (hockey)
- Seattle Storm (women's basketball)
COMMON PAYMENT OPTIONS
Participating in sports betting on any Washington online sportsbook means you will be transacting using real money. There are many ways to conduct these transactions, and the most common payment options include:
- Major debit and credit cards
- NETeller
- Click2Pay
- PayPal
- Skrill
- Bank transfer
- PaySafeCard
WASHINGTON CASINOS
The Washington Gambling Commission licenses and regulates all acceptable social gambling events in Washington, barring the lottery and horse racing. They regulate any prohibited gambling ventures and also regulate tribal games subject to negotiations between the State and the Tribes.
Tribal gaming is allowed, along with the maintenance of these gambling facilities. The use of any gambling devices is strictly prohibited at tribal casinos. No online casino gaming is allowed. There are a total of 28 tribal casinos located in Washington.
The state of Washington allows some types of social gaming that do not require any licenses. These include raffles, bingo, amusement games hosted by charities, fishing derbies, sports pools, bowling and golfing sweepstakes, turkey shoots, social card games, and promotional contests.
Most of these activities are only permitted at commercial food and beverage locations, as well as commercial card rooms.The Washington Gambling Commission requires licenses for all other authorized gambling activities.
The only form of internet casino gambling allowed in the state is the casino app created by Muckleshoot. Consider it a small step toward the beginning of Washington online casinos.
Muckleshoot casino, one of the biggest operators in the NW region, was the first to introduce its own app. This software allows you to play a variety of casino games on your phone. Serviced by Playport Gaming Systems, the app lets users purchase games they want to play and win real money. The catch to this is that every financial procedure must be done on the site. From game selection to redeeming winnings, everything happens inside the application.
Since the Muckleshoot app focuses on games like bingo, which don’t compete against the house, it bypasses Washington restrictions. It’s a smart idea as this app isn’t a Washington online casino. Rather, it is an extension of the Muckleshoot operations.
WASHINGTON HORSE RACING
Pari-mutuel wagering is a form of wagering whereby all particular bets are placed in a pool. Taxes and what the house takes in are deducted, and payoff odds are based on splitting the pool evenly among all winning wagers. This system of horse betting usually occurs in horse racing or greyhound racing, where contestants finish in order.
In Washington, pari-mutuel wagering is permitted on live and simulcast horse racing events. These events take place at the state’s racetracks and off-track betting parlors. Auburn’s Emerald Downs and Sun Downs are the only tracks that offer live racing. Advance-deposit wagering on horse racing is also allowed. Greyhound racing is strictly prohibited.
Many avid bettors believe that legalizing Washington online sports betting would only do good for the horse racing industry.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON BETTING IN WASHINGTON
The current situation on sports betting in Washington is almost coming to fruition. Sports betting is officially legal in the Evergreen State, but the actual license and regulatory process hasn't been agreed upon by legislators and the Gaming Commission.
Several top sports betting sites are already trickling into the Washington online sports betting market. These include names like BetMGM, FanDuel, and Fox Bet. All of these bookmakers offer a variety of major sports to wager on, along with popular casino games.
Now, all that's left to do is wait for the Washington State Gaming Commission to finalize their rules after comment periods. Then, hopefully you'll be able to place bets by the time the NFL season rolls around: we'll let you know!
WASHINGTON ONLINE SPORTS BETTING FAQ
ARE SPORTS BETTING SITES LEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES?
Yes and no. In 2018 the Supreme Court got rid of PASPA, a federal law that banned single-game wagering. Now, each state can set its own rules for online sports betting.
WHAT DO I NEED TO REGISTER AT AN ONLINE BETTING SITE IN WASHINGTON?
To register an account with a licensed operator, you will need to provide some details. These include your personal information, contact details, banking details, as well as proof of identification.
IS IT SAFE TO DEPOSIT MONEY AT SPORTS BETTING SITES IN WASHINGTON?
Yes. First, make sure that the operator you are using is licensed. You can also check their policy regarding payments. Most reputable bookmakers employ a variety of means to ensure your banking details are safe and secure. They make use of advanced data encryption and SSL.
CAN I SET BETTING LIMITS?
The bookmaker will set specific betting limits on each product they offer. You can read more on each operator’s website under their terms and conditions.
