Sweepstakes Casinos in Washington (2026)

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Washington?

No. Washington is the one state that every sweepstakes casino has always excluded, and the reasons are written into statute and case law rather than left to interpretation.

Washington’s Gambling Act (chapter 9.46 RCW) starts from the position that no gambling is legal unless the Legislature has specifically authorised it. RCW 9.46.240 then makes it a class C felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, to knowingly transmit or receive gambling information over the internet or any telecommunications system. Since a 2006 amendment added the word "internet", the section has made Washington the only state where playing online is itself a felony-level offence on paper.

The sweepstakes defence collapses on the definition of a "thing of value". RCW 9.46.0285 covers not only money and property but "any form of credit or promise" that involves "extension of a service, entertainment or a privilege of playing at a game or scheme without charge". In Kater v. Churchill Downs (2018) the Ninth Circuit applied that wording to Big Fish Casino, holding that virtual chips are things of value because a player who runs out must buy more to keep the privilege of playing, so the app was illegal gambling under Washington law. The Washington State Gambling Commission relies on Kater and on Bullseye Distributing v. State Gambling Commission (2005) in its published statement on virtual casinos, and its sweepstakes FAQ says online "sweepstakes" fuse two authorised activities, raffles and promotional contests, into a third type that Washington law does not allow. A Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins site has no room to manoeuvre. We are not lawyers, but no operator’s counsel disagrees: Washington is blocked at sign-up everywhere.

Timeline

• 2005: the Court of Appeals rules in Bullseye Distributing that machines emulating slots are gambling devices even when the play points have no cash value.
• 2006: the Legislature adds internet transmission to RCW 9.46.240, creating the class C felony.
• March 2018: the Ninth Circuit decides Kater v. Churchill Downs, finding Big Fish Casino’s virtual chips are things of value.
• February 2021: a federal judge approves a $155 million settlement of Kater and the companion Thimmegowda case, with Churchill Downs paying $124 million and Aristocrat $31 million.
• September 9, 2021: Snoqualmie Casino takes the first legal sports bet in the state after tribal compact amendments; betting stays on tribal property.
• 2022: DoubleDown Interactive and IGT agree a $415 million settlement of a Washington social-casino class action, the largest of its kind.
• June 2024: a federal court rules High 5 Casino and High 5 Vegas constitute illegal gambling under Washington law.
• February 2025: a Seattle jury orders High 5 Games to pay $24.9 million to Washington players, the first jury verdict against a social casino.
• 2025 to 2026: no bill to authorise online casinos, poker or sweepstakes is introduced. Every major sweepstakes brand, including Chumba, McLuck, Pulsz, Stake.us and WOW Vegas, continues to block Washington.

How Washington law treats sweepstakes and gambling

• Operators: professional gambling offences under RCW 9.46.220 to 9.46.222 range from gross misdemeanors to class B felonies, and the civil litigation above shows how expensive Washington exposure is for social and sweepstakes casinos alike.
• Players: RCW 9.46.240 applies to anyone who "knowingly transmits or receives" gambling information, so players are technically within reach. The Gambling Commission has said its focus is on operators, and we know of no prosecution of an individual for playing online, but the exposure is unique to Washington.
• Regulator: the Washington State Gambling Commission, created in 1973, licenses card rooms, charitable gaming and gambling equipment, and co-regulates tribal casinos under compacts. It is the agency that has repeatedly told operators that virtual-currency casinos are not authorised.
• Related bans: daily fantasy sports and online poker are also unavailable in Washington for the same statutory reasons.

What Washington players should check

• Expect rejection: sweepstakes casinos will refuse a Washington address and IP at registration. This is the operator obeying the law, not a glitch.
• Do not use a VPN: it breaches every operator’s terms, forfeits any balance, and in Washington the underlying play is itself a felony-level offence.
• Free-play only: a social casino that never sells coins and never pays prizes is outside the gambling definition; one that sells chips is not, whatever it calls them.
• Age: 18 for the lottery, card rooms and most tribal casinos, though some tribal properties are 21.
• Refunds: Washington players who lost money in social casinos have recovered it through class actions; check the settlement websites if you played Big Fish, DoubleDown or High 5 titles.

Other legal ways to play in Washington

Washington’s legal market is substantial. All 29 federally recognised tribes hold Class III compacts and 23 of them run 29 casinos, from Tulalip and Snoqualmie near Seattle to Northern Quest in Airway Heights. Sports betting has been legal at tribal casinos since September 2021, including on-property mobile apps; a card-room operator’s lawsuit challenging that tribal exclusivity was dismissed. Dozens of licensed house-banked card rooms operate under the Gambling Commission, Washington’s Lottery has sold tickets since 1982, live racing and advance-deposit wagering run through Emerald Downs, and nonprofits offer bingo, raffles and pull-tabs. There is no legal online casino, online poker or online lottery.

Staying up to date

We monitor the Gambling Commission, Washington litigation and every operator’s eligible-state list. If Washington’s position ever changes, this page and the casino list will be updated immediately; the review date in the header shows when we last checked.