Washington legislators Friday discussed removing certain online sportsbook limitations at tribal casinos as well as bans on in-state college betting, the first step toward potentially expanding one of the nation’s most restrictive legal sports betting markets.
- Washington lawmakers are considering allowing bets on in-state college teams while banning player props for Washington-based athletes.
- The bill would let tribal casinos offer multiple mobile sportsbook operators on tribal lands, rather than a single exclusive partner.
- Supporters say the changes would help Washington compete with offshore betting while maintaining the state’s broader mobile betting restrictions.
The legislation would allow bets on in-state college sports teams while implementing a ban on individual player props from college athletes playing for Washington-based teams. The bill would also allow tribes to accept mobile sports bets from any licensed sportsbook in the state, not just their lone partner.
Friday’s hearing was the first time lawmakers publicly discussed the legislation. No vote was taken, and there’s no timeline for further action.
Washington is one of 39 states with a form of legal sports betting but has some of the nation’s strictest laws limiting mobile gambling. The legislation was introduced as a way to help Washington keep pace with offshore books and prediction market sports event contracts that are already operating in the state, said Rep. Sharlett Mena, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, during Friday’s committee hearing.
“I think this is an initial step to try to catch up with the market, and there may be more down the line,” Mena said.
College betting expansion
The bill would allow tribal sportsbooks to take individual player prop bets on college athletes, such as points scored. It would prohibit such bets on players at Washington schools, such as the University of Washington or Gonzaga, but would allow prop bets on those in-state teams’ opponents.
“We currently offer for professional Washington teams but not for college Washington teams, and in the absence of a legal option it hasn't stopped sports betting,” Mena said. “It's simply pushed it into the shadows where college sports wagering already happens through offshore and illegal markets. This bill would bring this activity into our regulatory structure.”
Washington is one of a handful of states that ban all bets on in-state college teams, not just props. About half of the legal sports betting states have restrictions on college player prop bets.
Individual college player prop bets have drawn increasing scrutiny in recent months over integrity concerns, leading NCAA president Charlie Baker to call for a nationwide ban. This criticism increased this week with the federal indictment of 20 people accused of manipulating more than two dozen men’s college basketball games over the past several seasons.
Representatives from Washington State University were among those to testify against the bill at Friday's hearing.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
More online sports betting options
If passed as written, the bill would make Washington the first state with statewide online sports betting bans to allow multiple mobile operators on tribal lands.
Nearly a dozen of the state’s more than 30 brick-and-mortar gaming locations have a retail sportsbook on property. These casinos are permitted to partner with one third-party commercial mobile operator to allow digital bets to be placed when a bettor is physically within tribal lands.
Access to each of these properties is currently restricted to the lone sportsbook provider. For example, a bettor at Quil Ceda Creek Casino near Seattle can only bet with the tribe’s partner, DraftKings, while a customer at Spokane Tribe Casino in the western portion of the state can only bet with Caesars.
Leaders from multiple tribes testified in favor of the bill Friday. Allowing more betting options at each facility could generate new revenues while maintaining the state’s mobile wagering prohibitions outside tribal lands, supporters said.
Washington, Wisconsin, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota are the only states that allow betting on tribal lands but prohibit wagering statewide. Washington would be the first to approve such a bill that allows multiple mobile operators to accept bets.
