Washington State is something of a special case when it comes to online poker in the United States. Poker players in Washington have to contend with a legal state of affairs that is both quite restrictive and completely unique.
The love/hate relationship that Washington has with poker spans the breadth of gambling. Washington chose long ago to take a rare stance on internet poker, actually rendering it illegal and a potential felony.
At the same time, the law permits live poker in dozens of tribal casinos and card rooms across the state. Sports betting is confined to tribal casinos only.
Washington also stands out as the only state to take on play-money gaming sites as problematic. Let’s take a closer look at the intricacies of Washington poker and gambling.
Top Online Poker Sites in Washington
Because of the legal situation in Washington State, residents must be very selective about the online poker for money sites they use. It’s perfectly legal to access sites for play-money play or to patronize sites structured in a way that comports with Washington law. If that’s the sort of WA online poker room you’re looking for, here are our picks for the top poker sites.
Ignition delivers one of the most consistent poker experiences for Washington players. The platform features anonymous tables, weekly six-figure tournament guarantees, and a well-designed interface free of clutter. Crypto withdrawals are fast and fee-free, and new users can claim a 150% bonus up to $1,500. Whether you’re chasing volume in Zone Poker or just looking for fair cash games without advanced tools, this is a solid, well-rounded platform that rewards steady play.
High traffic with active cash games and tournaments.
100% up to $1,000 bonus with tournament tickets.
Fast crypto payments with no fees.
Many tournament options, including PKOs and Sunday Majors.
Min Deposit
10
Payout Speed
1 Day
Best Washington Poker Site for Beginners
Newcomers exploring real-money poker will find BetOnline easy to settle into. The software is clean and intuitive, with low-stakes tables that fill quickly and sit-and-gos that require minimal time commitment. A $1,000 welcome bonus and clear deposit options (including crypto) make the onboarding process frictionless. While more advanced features exist for seasoned users, the real appeal here lies in its accessibility and user-friendly structure, especially for those just getting started in Washington.
Mobile poker on Everygame runs smoothly across devices without stripping away functionality. The app gives users access to cash games, sit & gos, and daily tournaments, all with a clean interface that avoids unnecessary clutter. For players in Washington who like to mix short sessions into busy days, or just prefer playing from the couch, this lightweight, dependable app handles the essentials well. It punches above its weight with soft traffic, steady freerolls, and a 200% welcome bonus up to $1,000.
Key Washington Laws and Cases
Washington is one of the few states in America that explicitly calls out online poker as a crime. Worse, it designates the activity as a felony.
In 2006, then-State Senator Margarita Prentice sponsored a bill to make online poker a felony with a $10K fine or five-year prison sentence as the penalty. While most states threatened to penalize online gambling operators, Prentice wanted Washington to punish players. She got her wish that June when then-Governor Christine Gregoire signed the bill into law. As a result, online poker became a Class C felony.
A Seattle attorney named Lee Rousso sued the state in 2008 over the right to play poker online. Despite numerous appeals and support from the then-influential Poker Players Alliance, the Washington State Supreme Court rejected the case in 2010.
In the years that followed, there was talk of new bills to overturn the online poker law, but they never progressed through the legislature. There was little support to address the issue, especially after the State Supreme Court ruling.
Other court cases have put free-play online gaming in the spotlight, showing Washington’s propensity for overreacting to online gambling. For example, Big Fish, an online casino game developer based in Seattle and operating since 2002, is fighting players in court who declare that the option to buy play-money chips in Big Fish’s online games violates state laws.
Washington lawmakers have not considered legal online poker bills, much less other forms of online gaming, in the past two decades. There is little likelihood that anything will change in the coming years unless the state’s Native American tribes support it and require its inclusion in updated compacts.
Washington Gambling & Poker Laws Summarized
Type/Code
Summary
State Code Section(s)
9.46-47; 67.16-17; 67.70
Definition of Gambling
Staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under the person’s control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that the person or someone else will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.
Definition of Contest of Chance
Any contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device in which the outcome depends in a material degree upon an element of chance, notwithstanding that skill of the contestants may also be a factor.
Definition of Player
A natural person who engages, on equal terms with the other participants, and solely as a contestant or bettor, in any form of gambling in which no person may receive or become entitled to receive any profit therefrom other than personal gambling winnings, and without otherwise rendering any material assistance to the establishment, conduct or operation of a particular gambling activity. A natural person who gambles at a social game of chance on equal terms with the other participants shall not be considered as rendering material assistance to the establishment, conduct or operation of the social game merely by performing, without fee or remuneration, acts directed toward the arrangement or facilitation of the game, such as inviting persons to play, permitting the use of premises for the game, or supplying cards or other equipment to be used in the games.
Definition of Legal Social Card Game
A card game that constitutes gambling and is authorized by the commission under RCW 9.46.070. Authorized card games may include a house-banked or a player-funded banked card game. No one may participate in the card game or have an interest in the proceeds of the card game who is not a player or a person licensed by the commission to participate in social card games.
Online Poker/Gambling
Online poker is specifically prohibited by Washington state law and considered a felony. The Poker Players Alliance sued the state in the late 2000s alleging the law was unconstitutional, but the PPA lost. Lawmakers continue to push for legalized online poker nearly every year, but there is never sufficient support to pass the bills.
Live Poker
Live cardrooms have been legal in Washington for several decades, where poker is prevalent. There is also cash game and tournament poker offered in some of the Native American casinos like Tulalip Resort Casino.
Casinos
All of Washington’s 29 tribes have gaming compacts with the state to offer casinos on their respective lands. The casinos offer slot machines and video gaming machines but only a few offer table games like poker.
Sports Betting
Sports wagering is legal only at tribal casinos with amended Class III compacts since March 2020. The law authorized it “on a very limited basis,” and attempts to expand sports betting in the state have failed.
DFS
A Senate bill was introduced in 2018 to legalize paid-entry fantasy sports, but it did not pass.
Other Forms of Gambling
Lottery, bingo and charitable gambling, horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, pull-tab games and punchboards.
Is Online Poker Legal in Washington?
While all online poker players should be familiar with their state laws regarding gambling, Washington State online poker players are motivated to learn more about the law as Washington is one of the few states that explicitly singles out online gambling.
Even the best offshore poker sites have approached Washington with caution. Some players in the state do compete online, but many sites have decided to ban players from Washington altogether due to the perceived severity of the law.
Let’s talk more about that aspect of, and a handful of other essential points from, Washington State gambling law:
Let’s start off by exploring how Washington State defines the act of gambling. There are a few components to the definition, the first of which is found in Section 9.46.0237:
“”Gambling,” as used in this chapter, means staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under the person’s control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that the person or someone else will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”
That’s a boilerplate definition of gambling and is supported through Washington’s “contest of chance” definition found in Section 9.46.0237. If chance plays a “material” role in the outcome of an event, then that event is a contest of chance regardless of whether there is a skill component.
Several activities are given a pass from Washington State gambling laws. For example, regulated forms of gambling are exempt, as are various forms of charitable gambling.
Social gambling is legal in the state of Washington (Section 9.46.0265).
You’ll see repeated references to “professional gambling” in Washington State law. However, despite what the term might suggest, under Washington law, it refers to involvement in the business or operational side of illegal gambling – not gambling professionally.
You’ve probably heard a good deal about Washington State’s law that makes playing online poker for real money illegal. When people reference that, they’re generally talking about Section 9.46.240, which makes it a felony for anyone who
“knowingly transmits or receives gambling information by telephone, telegraph, radio, semaphore, the Internet, a telecommunications transmission system, or similar means.”
Land-Based Casinos in Washington
While online poker continues to be off-limits, Washington still offers a solid live poker scene through licensed cardrooms and tribal casinos. As of 2025, there are 25 licensed cardrooms located in various parts of the state, offering various poker games, including cash games and tournaments.
In addition to cardrooms, Washington also hosts 35 tribal casinos which are operated by federally recognized tribes. Many of these casinos feature poker rooms where players are able to participate in cash games and tournaments.
Some of the most popular poker destinations include:
Tulalip Resort Casino
Little Creek Casino Resort
Northern Quest Resort & Casino
Clearwater Casino Resort
Fortune Poker Room
Caribbean Cardroom
These locations give players in Washington access to live poker despite the state’s online restrictions.
Will Washington Regulate Online Poker?
Regulation remains a highly complex question that depends mainly on how regulated online gambling rolls out in the rest of the United States. Specifically, a scenario that gives tribal interests sufficient motivation to embrace online poker and gambling is the most positive for those who want to see such games regulated in Washington.
Until some of the major stakeholders in Washington’s gaming industry develop a greater interest in regulated online poker, it seems as if the state will continue to hold its title as one of the least hospitable places for online poker players.
How Can I Play Online Poker From Washington State?
Since real-money online poker is illegal in Washington state (and considered a Class C felony) most major poker sites—including sweepstakes and subscription-based platforms–proactively block users from the state to stay compliant with local laws.
That said, Washington residents still have a couple of legal ways to enjoy the game:
Play-money poker apps, such as PokerStars.net or WSOP Free Chips, which use only virtual currency and involve no real-money wagering.
Live poker at licensed cardrooms and tribal casinos throughout the state.
To avoid legal risk, Washington players should stick to play-money platforms or regulated live poker venues until state laws change.
Washington Gambling Facts
The State of Washington has one of the most varied and complex regulated gambling menus of any state in America. It starts with the state-backed lottery and extends into tribal casinos. Those options share the space with Washington’s commercial casinos, card rooms, and race tracks.
When you start looking into charitable gambling in Washington State, things get more confusing. Multiple forms are permitted, some of which require a license and others do not. Depending on your ability to obtain a license, your organization could offer games ranging from bingo to poker to full-blown casino nights.
Things are quite a bit simpler for WA online poker. Washington State does not directly regulate online gambling. So no online poker, no online casino – no matter how hard you look, you won’t find an online gambling site with a license issued by Washington State.
Some were surprised that the Tennessee legislature approved mobile sports betting in 2019, but it came with a threat from the governor to veto any other attempts to expand gambling in the state. So that will likely be the last we hear from Tennessee in a while.
Famous Washington State Poker Players
Cardrooms in Washington have been a great launching pad for many a poker player. They can easily start at low to mid stakes, play in occasional small poker tournaments, and play cash games. Many of them also hone their skills online at offshore poker rooms that offer their services to Washington players.
Scott Clements has been the person with the most live tournament earnings for many years. Though he doesn’t appear to play at the frequency he once did, he continues to maintain the spot as the top live poker player from Washington – by quite a significant margin.
As of 2025, the top Washington players by live tournament earnings include:
1. Scott Clements - $8.25 million 2. Adam Walton - $5.3 million 3. Brandon Cantu - $4.9 million 4. Lee Markholt - $4.9 million 5. Lee Watkinson - $4.3 million 6. Ralph Porter - $4.1 million 7. Dylan Wilkerson - $4 million 8. Matt Affleck - $3.9 million 9. Darren Rabinowitz - $3.6 million 10. Calvin Lee - $3.6 million
Their success continues to keep Washington on the poker map, even as state laws restrict online play.
Playing Online Poker in Washington
Playing online poker in Washington comes with major restrictions. The state is one of the few in the U.S. that explicitly bans online poker, and most sites block Washington players as a result. While legal online options are limited, live poker is still available at licensed cardrooms and tribal casinos across the state. Free-to-play apps are also widely used for casual play.
For now, Washington players looking to stay on the right side of the law will need to stick with in-person games or play-money platforms, since the state hasn’t made any moves to change its stand on real-money online poker.
Jennifer Newell is a freelance writer at LegalUsPokerSites. She has two decades of experience in the iGaming industry. She is a respected poker media member, contributing to publications and websites like USA Today, PokerStars, and PokerScout. Her knowledge spans gambling legislation and the broader online gaming world. She has spent years advocating for diversity, most notably gender equity in the traditionally male-dominated poker sphere.
Sources & Citations For This Article on Washington Online Poker
