Washington definitely deserves attention in a conversation about gambling. The state has a very odd approach to regulating the industry. For instance, it has land-based casinos — something that many other states don’t have. On the other hand, it also lists online casinos as illegal activity and players wagering real money in such lobbies can face accusations of the Class C Felony.

But back to the liberal side of the question. There are two types of land-based casinos in the state — the so-called card rooms where they also offer live poker games, as well as tribal casinos. Plus, the state allows charitable and social gambling, and residents can also own slot machines. These machines should be at least 25 years old and serve decorative or recreational purposes.

Of course, like most of the states, Washington has a state-regulated lottery, as well as sports betting. Plus, as of recently, it legally allowed online Sportsbook, but under one circumstance — it has to be provided by either of the tribal casinos in the state.

The legal age for gambling starts at the age of 18. The state charges card rooms up to 20% in taxes on the gross gaming win. The tax for bingo is capped at 5%.

Washington is one of the few states in the USA where, we believe, it is imperative to understand the details of online gambling. In a nutshell — simply because it is one of the very few states in the country where playing in live dealer casinos is considered a Class C Felony for players. Yes, not only for online operators.

Although there were no precedents of the state actually prosecuting players it will be unfair on our part to fully recommend online gambling. Instead, we’d recommend either travel to any of the states where gambling virtually is actually legal (like in Pennsylvania), or to head to any of the neighboring states where, while online gambling may not be licensed by the state, players are not risking while playing in international lobbies.

Recommended live casino games

Before we dive into exploring the games we should set the stage. The niche for offshore online gambling for the United States is relatively small. Up until recent years, it was limited to only a few slot developing studios like Rival, RealTime Gaming, and Saucify.

Lately, though, we’ve been observing a boom of live dealer creators. A segment non-existent up until the mid-2010s is growing, and such promising labels as Fresh Deck Studios and Arrow’s Edge are filling in the gaps.

Currently, the category of live games that gets the best representation is live blackjack. Each of the studios has at least a couple of releases — classic and VIP — in their portfolios. Plus, there are unique versions, such as Early Payout BJ.

Following it in terms of popularity is live roulette. When it comes to this game, no variations beat the demand for American Roulette and European Roulette. Both of these versions will usually be available from studio to studio.

Casino deposit and withdrawal methods

While the list of live games gets better each year, it is a bit of underrepresentation for payment methods. Cards will usually be included in every cashier that accepts players from the USA. Mostly, these will be Visa and MasterCard options but in certain cases, the platform may also offer American Express.

However, with federal laws of the USA regulating banking and gambling activities, it is not guaranteed that a bank won’t block a deposit or a withdrawal from international online lobbies. The same goes for bank transfers — another popular payment method.

This is why so many players are gradually switching to cryptocurrencies. First, there was Bitcoin. Then, other variations joined the market — ETH, LTC, DGC, and more. What’s great about crypto is it is safe, fast, and cheap.

Quite a few forms of gambling are available to the residents of the state. Among them is charitable gambling, which is strictly regulated, licensed, and limited to bingo and raffles. The residents of the state can also hold social gambling at home. It does not require any state approval and there is no limitation on card games. The only condition that needs to be maintained is there should be no house edge.

Land-Based Casinos in Washington

Two types of land-based casinos in the state are commercial and tribal casinos. There are 6+ Native American casinos in Washington, and they can offer bingo, keno, table games, and Class III gaming devices.

In the case of the commercial casinos, these are not so much the classic gambling lobbies but rather the so-called card rooms. They have no right to offer video poker games or slots. Players won’t find roulette or craps in such card rooms, either. However, there is live poker.

Pari-Mutuel and Sports Betting in Washington

This type of betting is legal both online and offline. There are two race tracks in the state, as well as 12+ OTB locations — the off-track betting places. Simulcast wagering is allowed. What’s peculiar about Washington is within the OTBs, bettors can place bets on races inside and outside of the state.

In addition to racetracks and OTBs, there are also ADWs — Advanced Deposit Wagering sites.

Online Sportsbook is granted only to the tribal casinos.

Lotteries in Washington

The lottery is popular in the state of Washington, even though, like in most of other states, it has a very mediocre RTP of less than 65%. Not all lottery activities are allowed. Residents can purchase Instant Tickets. Plus, Washington participates in national mega jackpot drawing games and keno.

On average, Instant Ticket sales generate up to 600 mln USD per year in revenues. The surplus from the sales goes to fund the state education.