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History of sports wagering in Washington
See the timeline of sports wagering in Washington.
March 2020
Governor Inslee signs House Bill 2638, which:
- Amends several laws, regulatory and licensing requirements, and crimes in the Gambling Act
- Authorizes sports wagering subject to the terms of tribal-state gaming compacts
Additionally, the bill states:
- Tribes will need to amend their Class III gaming compacts
- The Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) will need to adopt new rules
- WSGC will need to approve all new sports wagering licenses before tribes can offer sports wagering at tribal casinos.
July 2020
Commissioners vote unanimously to initiate rulemaking to implement sports wagering.
December 2020
The Commissioners draft pre-licensing rule language for licensing investigations with the goal of giving potential licensees (individuals and organizations) a head start on the pre-licensing investigation process.
The final draft sports wagering license rules are still part of tribal-state compact negotiations and any final sports wagering rules will be forthcoming and publicly available in the future.
January 2021
WSGC files the proposed pre-licensing rules with the Office of the Code Reviser on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 (WSR 21-03-072).
February 2021
Sports wagering pre-licensing investigation rules pass with an effective date of March 29, 2021.
April-May 2021
WSGC and 14 tribes (see above) reach and announce a tentative agreement for sports wagering compacts.
June 2021
WSGC files draft language with the Office of the Coder Reviser on June 23, 2021 (WSR 21-13-165). The proposed rules address the following areas consistent with the Gambling Act and recent negotiated tribal-state compact amendments:
- Licensing and regulation
- Agency funding
- Money laundering and criminal enforcement
- Sport and gambling integrity
- Responsible gambling.
July 2021
WSGC takes final action on rule changes to address licensing and regulation and agency funding, consistent with the Gambling Act and recently negotiated tribal-state compact amendments (i.e. those changes proposed to chapter 230-03 WAC, chapter 230-05 WAC, and chapter 230-06 WAC).
Commission staff will continue working with stakeholders on draft language to address:
- money laundering and criminal enforcement
- Sport and gambling integrity
- Responsible gambling (i.e. draft chapter 230-19 WAC).