wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2205 > Substitute Bill
The state has long prohibited all forms and means of gambling except where carefully and specifically authorized and regulated. The legislature intends to bolster the regulated sports wagering industry. Currently, sports wagering in Washington is offered exclusively by tribal casinos subject to gaming compacts entered pursuant to the Indian gaming regulatory act. This offering has proven to meet the state's policy of offering gambling only in a highly regulated environment that is safe for the public.
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For purposes of this chapter, "sports wagering" means the business of accepting wagers on any of the following sporting events, athletic events, or competitions by any system or method of wagering:
A professional sport or athletic event;
A collegiate sport or athletic event;
An Olympic or international sports competition or event;
An electronic sports or esports competition or event;
A combination of sporting events, athletic events, or competitions listed in (a)(i) through (iv) of this subsection (1); or
For purposes of this section:
"Collegiate sport or athletic event" means a sport or athletic event offered or sponsored by, or played in connection with, a public or private institution that offers education services beyond the secondary level. Sports wagering may not be conducted on the performance or nonperformance of any specifically named individual participant in any collegiate sport or athletic event who is enrolled in an educational institution located within the state of Washington.
"Electronic or esports event" means a live event or tournament attended or watched by members of the public where games or matches are contested in real time by players and teams and players or teams can win a prize based on their performance in the live event or tournament.
"Professional sport or athletic event" means an event that is not a collegiate sport or athletic event at which two or more persons participate in sports or athletic events and receive compensation in excess of actual expenses for their participation in the event. "Professional sport or athletic event" does not include any minor league sport. Sports wagering may not be conducted on any minor league sport.
Upon the request of a federally recognized Indian tribe or tribes in the state of Washington, the tribe's class III gaming compact may be amended pursuant to the Indian gaming regulatory act, 25 U.S.C. Sec. 2701 et seq., and RCW 9.46.360 to authorize the tribe to conduct and operate sports wagering on Indian lands, provided the amendment addresses: Licensing; fees associated with the gambling commission's regulation of sports wagering; how sports wagering will be conducted, operated, and regulated; issues related to criminal enforcement, including money laundering, sport integrity, and information sharing between the commission and the tribe related to such enforcement; and responsible and problem gambling. Sports wagering conducted pursuant to the gaming compact is a gambling activity authorized by this chapter.
Sports wagering conducted pursuant to the provisions of a class III gaming compact entered into by a tribe and the state pursuant to RCW 9.46.360 is authorized bookmaking and is not subject to civil or criminal penalties pursuant to RCW 9.46.225.
The transmission of gambling information over the internet for any sports wagering conducted and operated under this section and RCW 9.46.0364 is authorized, provided that the wager may be placed and accepted at a tribe's gaming facility only while the customer placing the wager is physically present on the premises of a tribe's gaming facility.
No person shall offer, promise, give, or attempt to give any thing of value to any person for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which a wager may be made.
No person shall place, increase, or decrease a wager after acquiring knowledge, not available to the general public, that anyone has been offered, promised, or given any thing of value for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which the wager is placed, increased, or decreased.
No person shall offer, promise, give, or attempt to give any thing of value to obtain confidential or insider information not available to the public with intent to use the information to gain a wagering advantage on a sporting event, athletic event, or competition.
No person shall accept or agree to accept, any thing of value for the purpose of wrongfully influencing his or her play, action, decision making, or conduct in any sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which a wager may be made.
No person shall threaten a sports official, coach, or participant involved in a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which a wager may be made where the threat is related to that sporting event, athletic event, or competition. For the purposes of this subsection, "threaten" means to communicate, directly or indirectly, the intent to:
Cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the person threatened; or
Cause physical damage immediately or in the future to the property of the person threatened.
No person who violates subsection (5) of this section may place any sports wagers.
Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a class C felony subject to the penalty set forth in RCW 9A.20.021.
If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.
This act may be known and cited as the sports wagering integrity act.