Washington Sports Betting + WA Online Sports Betting

With sports betting becoming more and more mainstream it seems like every week a new state is passing legislation to legalize betting within state lines. This is going to be a rapidly evolving space which is why we are making sure you have all the information you need regardless of where you live. We have broken down the betting landscape for all 50 states so that you can find out if your state has any legalized betting, or where they are at in the process. Keep in mind this is a fluid situation that will be changing on the fly as more and more states decide to enter the sports betting landscape. Here are the top-five things you need to know about Washington sports betting and WA online sports betting apps.

1) Is North Dakota Sports Betting Legal?

Sports betting is so fresh in Washington — Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill (ESHB 2638) into law in late March amid the COVID-19 outbreak — that there are no real institutions in place to allow for online gambling, at least online gambling based in the state. The only legal bookmakers in Washington are licensed tribal casinos, and even those are still a ways away from taking bets. For one, the casinos have to come agreements with Washington in regards to regulation. And then sports obviously need to restart again. In the meantime, it appears the only U.S.-regulated online betting will be available through brick-and-mortar tribal casinos to patrons within their walls. Outside of that, bettors will have to settle for offshore bookmakers to wager online.

2) What Bills are Currently Before the State Legislature?

There are currently no bills in the Washington state legislature.

The bills that would have legalized sports betting for commercial and tribal operations didn’t make it out of committee. The bills that received the most support were those with an open mobile offering.

3) What are the Next Steps for WA Sports Betting?

Washington is about as limited as a state can be with sports gambling while still calling it legal. Sports betting officially became legal in late March, but with no sports to bet on and with casinos closed, the business has yet to truly kick off. Tribal casinos still have to negotiate regulations on sports gambling and there is the small matter of the COVID-19 outbreak limiting public interaction. With no established avenues for state-licensed online gambling, there is not much to look forward to in the immediate future.

4) What are the Most Popular Teams to Bet on in WA?

Washington has franchises in two of the major sports — the Mariners and Seahawks, plus a popular MLS team and WNBA team. The NHL will also be expanding to Seattle in the very near future. As for college sports, betting is allowed on NCAA and NAIA events, but not on teams located within the state of Washington, so the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State University Cougars are unavailable. Washington will allow wagering on international sporting events and the growing eSports industry, however.

5) Is There Anything Else to Know About North Dakota Sports Betting?

It is unclear as to how progressive Washington will look to be down the road. For now, they are severely limiting legalization to tribal casinos and they do not appear immediately interested in expanding their online gambling business. Once casinos can negotiate regulatory measures and reopen, and sports can resume, perhaps there will be more deliberation in the state regarding its sports gambling expansion.

What are the Most Common Types of Bets I Can Make in Washington?

Straight bet

This is the most common bet type and it is just a straight up single bet on a game. A point spread is determined by the oddsmakers with one team being favored by a certain amount of points. Let’s take a look at an example line below to give a clear indication of what a straight bet would be:

Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110), moneyline -320

at Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110), moneyline +260

O/U 206

The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points in this example. This means that if you bet the Cavaliers, you are getting 6.5 points, so if the Cavaliers win the game, or lose by fewer than seven points, you will win the bet because of your 6.5-point cushion. On the other side, when you are laying 6.5 points as the favorite, you would need the Celtics to win by seven or more to win the bet.

Final Score: Celtics 102 Cavaliers 98. Cavaliers would cover even though the Celtics won the game because the +6.5 point spread is enough to cover a four-point defeat.

Moneyline Bet

The moneyline is a bet where there is no spread; you are just picking the winner of the game. In the example above, the Cavaliers ML is +260, which means that for every $100 wagered, you win $260 if the Cavaliers win the game outright. They receive the plus side of the moneyline since they are the underdog and picking them rewards you with nice odds since they are projected to likely lose the game. On the flip side, if you bet the Celtics ML at -320, you have to bet $320 to win $100. They are the favorites so if you decide to bet the moneyline instead of the point spread, you are forced to bet additional money to win $100.

In the example above, the Celtics ML would be the winner as they won the game outright. The spread is irrelevant for a moneyline wager.

Over/Under

This is a straight bet wagering on how many total combined points will be scored in a game by both teams. For example, an NBA game may have an over/under of 210 points, which means that the oddsmakers are projecting a combined points total of 210 between the two teams. If you think the teams are going to score more than 210 points total, you bet the over, and conversely, if you think it’s going to be a defensive struggle, you can bet the under hoping that the total points scored equals 209 points or less.

Parlay

A parlay is a bet where you combine multiple bets into one bet and you get increased odds because you only win your parlay wager if all of your bets win. If you do a three-team parlay, you select three different teams from three different games and if you win all three of the bets you hit your parlay for longshot odds (6-1 so $100 to win $600). Going 0/3, 1/3, or 2/3 is all the same and you lose the parlay bet. It’s all or nothing which makes them tough to hit and is more of a home run type bet than a regular straight bet since there’s a chance for a big payoff.

Washington Sports Betting FAQs