100-Square sports pool boards

Learn about the rules you or your business must follow if you want to offer 100-square sports pool boards to your customers.

The Gambling Act of 1973 also authorizes 100-square sports pool boards, as long as operators offer them under certain conditions (RCW 9.46.0335).

Rules for offering sports pool boards

Both businesses and individuals may offer 100-square sports pool boards. You must follow all of the following rules, regardless which event your board is for (e.g., Super Bowl, Final Four, etc):

  • You or your business may offer only 1 board on any single athletic event
  • You must divide the board into 100 squares
  • You charge $1 or less per square
  • You must charge each player the same entry fee
  • Each player picks a square
  • Someone writes the player's name on the square they choose
  • You assign the numbers representing game scores randomly to each square.

Pool board inspections

You must always have your board ready and available for the following people to inspect:

  • Anyone purchasing a square
  • Gambling Commission agents
  • Other law enforcement representatives.

Illegal sports pool boards

It is illegal to have a sports pool board where you:

  • Have more than 1 board per athletic event
  • Offer anything other than 100 squares
  • Charge more than $1 per square.

Develop and post your house rules

You should develop and post house rules for how you'll operate the sports pool board. For example:

  • Deadlines for collecting prize money
  • Winner identification
  • Requirements for someone other than a winner collecting a prize
  • What will happen if there is a tie
  • How you or your business will distribute money if no one picks the winning square.