Sports Betting in Seattle, WA

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Sports Betting in Seattle, WA

Author: AmericanGambler1234 | Last Updated: July 7, 2019
Fully legalized sports betting has not arrived in the state of Washington, and it does not appear destined to get there anytime in the near future. Three times during 2018, state legislators sponsored bills that would allow legalized gambling on college and pro sports, as well as international events such as the Olympic Games. None came anywhere near gaining enough support to being approved.

The most controversial of these sports betting bills put forth was known as HB 1975. This measure would have permitted Las Vegas-style sportsbooks, but only at Tribal casinos within the state. 

Groups representing sports bars, restaurants and house-banked card rooms successfully lobbied against this bill, arguing that it would unfairly cut them out of a piece of the action.

Some legislators hoped to be able to present another bill by next year but with just a 60-day session set for the legislature in 2020, it’s more likely that they will need to wait until the 105-day session in 2021 to get it in front of state lawmakers.

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, currently among the candidates running for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, has not publicly stated a position on legalized sports betting. 

Technically, sports betting is legal in the state (in Seattle in particular). In 1973, Washington State introduced the gambling act. This measure permits businesses and individuals to operate 100-square sports pool boards. Run during major events such as the Super Bowl, these squares, each filled with a number representing final scores during portions of the game, can be sold for up to $1 per square.

In essence, this means the bills being presented before the legislature would be classified as an expansion of the current legalized sports betting within the state.

Is it legal to bet online in Seattle?

For Washington State residents, all forms of gambling on the Internet are illegal, including all types of sports betting. This also includes any offshore online sportsbook, no matter where they are located.

That being said, there is no way for the state to enforce this law if someone chose to wager through an offshore online sportsbook. There is no record of anyone being prosecuted in Washington state for placing wagers at an offshore online sports betting site.

The only legalized sports betting outside of the 100-square pools is horse racing. Emerald Downs Racetrack is located approximately 30 miles south of Seattle. Opened in 1996, the thoroughbred track offers live racing from April-December. As well Emerald Downs offers gambling at table games situated in its Clubhouse Casino.

Seattle Betting Sites and Apps

Daily fantasy sports websites like FanDuel.com and DraftKings.com, bracket pools conducted during such events as the NCAA basketball tournament and office sports pools are all illegal in Washington state.

Mobile sports betting is illegal in the state of Washington. None of the bills brought before the legislature thus far incorporated any proposal to make mobile betting on sports legally within the state.

Land-Based Casinos

There are 29 federally-recognized Indian tribes in the state of Washington state, and each one has a gambling contract, generally referred to as a compact, with the state.

There are seven tribal-operate casinos with a one-hour drive of Seattle. Between them, they each offer literally over 1,000 slot machines and hundreds of table games of craps, roulette and blackjack. Check this out Thrillist.com.

Washington is also home to 45-house-banked card room that are regulated by the state Gambling Commission. 

Top local sports betting blogs

With such limited legal sports betting available in the state, there really is no requirement for any form of sports betting blog. However, should you want to stay on top of the regulations for gambling in the state of Washington, FindLaw.com is a good site to bookmark. 

As well, the Washington State Gambling Commission web page offers a breakdown of the types of betting that are legal in the state, a breakdown of where you can gamble in the state, and a list of FAQ about gambling within state lines.

Professional Teams

Seattle lost its NBA team in 2008 when the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. The SuperSonics won the NBA Finals in 1978-79.

Major league pro hockey will return to the city for the first time since 1924 when Seattle’s yet-to-be-nicknamed NHL expansion team makes its debut in the 1921-22 season.

Seattle Mariners (MLB) 

The Pilots, Seattle’s original major-league team, lasted one season after joining the American League in 1969 before becoming the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mariners were also born as an expansion team in 1977. The Mariners have won three AL West Division titles but have never played in a World Series. They last qualified for postseason play in 2001. That’s the longest active MLB playoff drought.

Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)

The Sounders can trace their lineage back to the NASL days of the 1970s, when pro soccer first boomed in the USA. Beginning play in the MLS as an expansion franchise in 2009, the Sounders were an instant success, winning the US Open Cup in each of their first three seasons. They won the MLS Cup in 2016 and lost in the final the following season.

Seattle Seahawks (NFL) 

Like the Mariners, the Seahawks were an expansion team born in the 1970s, joining the NFL in 1976. Seattle began as an AFC team. Making the playoffs for the first time in 1983, they went all the way to the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Los Angeles Raiders. 

The Seahawks were shifted to the NFC in 2002. They lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers but defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. Seattle lost Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots.

Seattle (To Be Determined) (NHL)

While this will be Seattle’s first taste of the NHL, Seattle has defeated the NHL for the Stanley Cup. The Seattle Metropolitans competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915-24, a big-league rival to the NHL. 

The champions of the two leagues faced off for the Stanley Cup and in 1916-17, the Mets downed the Montreal Canadiens to become the first US-based team to lift Lord Stanley’s mug. Seattle also played in the 1918-19 and 1919-20 Stanley Cup finals.

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