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January 13 — that’s the date that Washington (the state, not the nation’s capital) reconvenes for the brand-new legislative sessions. Indeed, the session is brimming with optimism. It’s the first time that lawmakers can start imposing new laws that govern the entire state.
Obviously, we look at it through the lens of Washington sports betting. Will the state choose to expand what it currently offers? Let’s put our thinking caps on and see if anything could be changed in 2025.
Washington Bettors Are Hamstring By Current Policies
Believe it or not, Washington was actually early to the legalized sports betting trend. Right as the pandemic broke out in March 2020, the state legalized it. However, it’s not fully legal per se — not like other states at least.
You see, only the federally recognized Native American tribes of the state are allowed to offer sports betting. Not only that, these tribes can only take in bets from within their premises. There is online betting, but again, only while inside their casinos. This essentially nerfs the potential of the entire industry.
Across the marketplace of the United States, mobile betting apps are eating the lunch of brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. In most states where both services are offered, as much as 95 percent of sports bets happen through the apps. So if Washington is leaving 95 percent potential on the table, that’s obviously not ideal for anyone involved — bettors, operators, and the state’s tax coffers.
These rules really put Washington behind the eight ball. You see, after Missouri legalized sports betting this past November, we’re now up to 39 states with a legal market. Of those states, 31 are going to offer unrestricted online betting. Washington, obviously, is one of the eight without.
Will Washington Choose To Expand Betting Soon?
Washington would be the perfect market to offer online sports betting, it really would. This state is mad for its local sports teams like the Kraken, Huskies, Sounders, Seahawks, and so on. The “12th man” would love to stake money on these sports via their phones. After all, most of the tribal casinos are located in more rural parts of the state — not that many near Seattle where most of the population lives.
The topic of the expansion has been brought up in legislative sessions before. Earlier this year, not one, but two bills were kicked around — HB 1630 and SB 5587. One of the bills wanted to charge operators $100,000 for a license to operate in the state, plus tax them 10 percent of profits.
The issue was last year’s legislative session lasted a meager 60 days. That’s hardly enough time to get something like this discussed, little less passed though. So in the end, these bills died without much thought. The good news is that 2025’s session will run 105 days — more than enough time to get serious about the issue.
Non-Tribal Casinos Want Expanded Betting Too
It’s not just some lawmakers and ourselves that want Washington to open up its sports betting markets. No, no, there’s a casino that wants to do the same — and they’re fighting in court for it.
Meet Maverick Casinos, who own dozens of gambling properties along the West Coast, including Washington. Well, they want to offer sports betting too, but can’t under the current rules. This is because they are a commercial casino, not a tribe-owned one. Maverick is “suing the bastards” to get things changed.
In 2022, Maverick filed a lawsuit against the United States — not just Washington state. In it, they contend that Washington’s sport betting compacts with local tribes in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), Equal Protection, and heck, even the 10th Amendment by allowing a “discriminatory tribal gaming monopoly.”
“I know that our perspective on sports betting is at odds with those who prefer a monopoly for Tribal casinos, but I respect their right to advocate for their members,” Maverick Gaming CEO Eric Persson has said. “Maverick Gaming will one day offer sports betting at its properties in our state, either following a ruling by the United States Supreme Court or an inclusive policy discussion by the state legislature that is founded in facts.”
There has been no resolution to the lawsuit yet but it’s something to keep in the back pocket in case lawmakers come up empty this legislative session.
What Online Bettors Can Do In Washington
If we had to guess, no changes to sports betting will happen in the state this year. It feels like there are “bigger fish to fry” among lawmakers. We hope we’re wrong, but it’s a strong inking.
But here’s the good news: Washington bettors can still wager online from anywhere and everywhere inside of the state. This can be done via offshore sportsbooks. These platforms operate from countries where betting is fully legal, allowing them to bypass U.S. regulations. For Washington residents, this means they can bet freely within state borders — and many already do. Offshore sportsbooks are especially popular in states without fully open betting markets.
We’ve tested dozens of these offshore sportsbooks before, and they all function seamlessly in Washington. To point you in the right direction, we’ve rounded up the top five offshore bookie that we believe are the best options for Washington bettors:
Best Betting Sites 