Legal Online Poker Washington State

While Washington state has a host of Indian casinos within its territory where you can go and play poker, when it comes to online gaming, poker rooms on the internet fall into a different legal category. Washington is one of one a couple of States to actually have a law saying that online gambling is illegal. However, all online poker in Washington is illegal. As with casino gambling, there seems to be no political will to legalize internet games. Washington Lottery. The Washington State Lottery was introduced in 1982 after House Bill No. 1251 was passed into legislation. The intent was to provide the State with extra income, which could then be. It is currently not lawful to own or operate any type of Washington legal online gambling site within the state's borders, as well as, to be offered online via licensed offshore sources. WA is the only other US.

1. Legal Online Poker In Washington State
2. Is Poker Legal In Washington State

Playing poker online is one of the biggest pastimes for people on the internet. The attraction of sitting down at a virtual table and stacking your hidden poker face against other players takes on the excitement of the potential profit and of course the challenge itself. But what of the laws within Washington State regarding online gambling on poker games, is it legal? He were expand on some of the key areas of this issue, help Washington players make sense of the whole matter, and display poker rooms that accept players from Washington.

While Washington state has a host of Indian casinos within its territory where you can go and play poker, when it comes to online gaming, poker rooms on the internet fall into a different legal category. Washington is one of one a couple of States to actually have a law saying that online gambling is illegal. However, with that said, enforcement is directed towards operators and not players, so it doesn't stop the legal online gambling sites for Washington from getting heavy usage by players within the state.

Regardless of where you are, be it in Seattle, Colfax or Auburn, you are going to be safe to get online and play poker, regardless of any laws that may be floating around, even those at Federal level. As hinted at above, the regulatory rules do not target the individuals in Washington State, those operations who are running the poker rooms and gaming institutes are who the lawmakers want. The Washington State Gambling Commission themselves say that enforcement is focused on higher level gambling activities. So yes, it's safe.

Laws are supposedly existing to try and help consumers not get scammed, so the players themselves can do themselves a big favor online by playing at reputable sites. We have tested many poker rooms that are available to Washington State residents, and the ones that we believe to be the most trusted and most welcoming are the following.

BetOnline provide one of the most reputable and highly trusted poker rooms on the internet and is accessible to players that live in the state of Washington. It is the fastest growing poker room in the United States with thousands of users getting online every day there. Plenty of variety in the options of types of poker to play, as well as free rolls and even playing tips. With good deposit options and secure account management with the back up of a strong customer service presence, BetOnline provides a superb package. And, it is important to note that BetOnline has multiple payout options so that Washington residents can get money out of their accounts easily.

Deposit Bonus: Every Deposit Earns Up To $900 With 15% Or 25% Match Bonus Offer.

The more knowledge you are armed with, the more information that you have to hand, the safer you can be by making your own judgment calls. Visit our dedicated page on this site for the online gambling laws in Washington State, which will provide more in-depth coverage of common questions about online poker. If you still want to garner further information then it will be worth checking out the actual gambling statutes for Washington State.

I’m a poker player. There was a time when you would have to whisper that fact in hushed tones and make sure you watched who you were talking to. That was before the World Series of Poker was televised nationwide on ESPN, and people generally accepted the fact that there is skill involved in the game. That was before there were personal computers in every pocket and very smart people would try and solve the game with algorithms.

RELATED: Ron’s life lessons learned from poker

Did you realize that in the state of Washington it is a Class C Felony to play a hand of poker online for real money? Yes, it is a felony to place an online wager in Washington!

Legal Online Poker In Washington State

Just to give you some context, here is the explanation of misdemeanors from the Washington State Courts webpage: “Examples of gross misdemeanors are theft of property and driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. Among the many types of misdemeanors are disorderly conduct and prostitution.”

You got that right. A DUI and prostitution are misdemeanors, while placing a wager online is a felony.

Is Poker Legal In Washington State

Here’s the thing though, people like to gamble. It’s fun, and it can add a little excitement to a dull day. So I was surprised to read on Geekwire that Muckleshoot Casino is rolling out a new app that has a clever work around this draconian online wagering law.

Here’s how it’s going to work starting in the fall. You download their app to your phone, then physically go to the casino and purchase games with cash money. Then you can leave the casino and play the games anywhere virtually. If you win, you’re winning real money that you collect the next time you’re at the casino.

These won’t be games like poker or roulette, but more like bingo and other games where you’re not playing against the house.

I’m tempted to go on a diatribe on how stupid the state of Washington is for criminalizing an online behavior that is perfectly legal in real life. Instead, I’m going to view this as a positive step.

Hopefully, this will end up in court and the current laws will be thrown out.

Society is slowly losing its judgments about archaic prohibitions from a bygone era. Attitudes are becoming more liberal around the idea of placing a bet for entertainment. Look no further than the recent Supreme Court decision on sports wagering.

Washington state needs to wake up and realize this is a perfectly acceptable tax revenue stream that is no different than ordering your groceries online instead of going to the brick and mortar store. If people want to use their entertainment budget to play a game, isn’t that their business?

Kudos to Muckleshoot for moving this issue forward. Now let’s take the next logical step and allow responsible adults to do online all the things they can legally do in a casino.

You can hear “What are we talking about here?” everyday at 4:45 p.m. on 97.3 FM.