Washington Casino Age Limit

Professional gambling in the third degree. 9.46.225: Professional gambling — Penalties not applicable to authorized activities. 9.46.228: Gambling activities by persons under age eighteen prohibited — Penalties — Jurisdiction — In-house controlled purchase programs authorized. 9.46.231: Gambling devices, real and personal property.

The Sooner State permits its residents to begin gambling at eighteen, however, this minimum age requirement can vary based on which tribal casino players enter, as some may ask patrons to be at least 21 to enter the casino and play. The state does not collect a gambling tax. RCW 9.46.110 allows local cities, counties or towns to tax gambling receipts. The maximum limitations are set forth in the law and are listed below.

LegalGamblingUSA.com - What Is The Legal Age To Gamble In the United States?

What the legal gambling age is depends on the state in which you live. Based on the powers of the states, each state's rights, and the lawmakers utilizing these rights, these ages can vary. the variance comes into play with different forms of gambling, different states, and, in the case of online gambling, the age requirement offered by a gambling site. While this may seem complicated with so much information to keep track of, this is not exactly the case - age requirements in gambling are very easy to comprehend, provided you know where to look.

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 31 tribal casinos with a unique type of electronic player terminal based on scratch tickets controlled by a state-wide Tribal Lottery System (TLS). All state-tribal compacts set a minimum theoretical payout limit. 5700 Pacific Highway East, Fife, WA 98424. EMERALD QUEEN CASINO I-5 IN TACOMA. 2920 East R Street, Tacoma, WA 98404.

Unfortunately, not every single state has actually listed the age requirement for gambling in their code of laws. It is further complicated by the fact that some states allow smaller jurisdictions, such as counties and cities, to establish their own legal ages. For the most part, we are only going to worry about each state's individual rules, as well as the rules of the different gambling sites in question. We have looked into this issue on a state by state basis, and we are going to tell you flat out that the age restriction for legal online gambling in the USA is fixed at two numbers - 18 and 21.

CHECK HERE FOR A LIST OF GAMBLING SITES THAT ACCEPT USA PLAYERS

USA Sportsbooks - USA Casinos - USA Poker Sites


What's The Legal Gambling Age???
Alabama - 21Hawaii - 21Massachusetts - 21New Mexico - 21South Dakota - 21
Alaska - 18Idaho - 18Michigan - 21New York - 18Tennessee - 21
Arizona - 21Illinois - 21Minnesota - 18North Carolina - 18Texas - 21
Arknsas - 21Indiana - 21Mississippi - 21North Dakota - 21Utah - 21
California - 21Iowa - 21Missouri - 21Ohio - 21Vermont - 18
Colorado - 21Kansas - 18Montana - 21Oklahoma - 18Virginia - 21
Connecticut - 21Kentucky - 21Nebraska - 21Oregon - 21Washington - 18
Delaware - 21Louisiana - 21Nevada - 21Pennsylvania - 21West Virginia - 21
Florida - 21Maine - 18New Hampshire - 21Rhode Island - 18Wisconsin - 21
Georgia - 21Maryland - 21New Jersey - 21South Carolina - 18Wyoming - 18

Do Gambling Ages Differ Between Sites And States?

Barring a few exceptions, you will have to be 21 in order to legally gamble. This is the case in nearly every single state. Some states allow 18 year olds to gamble. Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming all have gambling ages of 18.

Every other state in the Union has fixed their gambling age at 21, and you cannot get around this in any way. If you attempt to do so you are aiming at serious trouble, including fines, having your money confiscated, and possibly arrest, though the latter is not likely.

There is one point of confusion that is universal in online gambling. This lies between the age required by your gambling site and the gambling age required by your state. In some cases, one will allow gamblers to begin at a younger age than the other. In the event that these ages differ from one another, you have to go with the gambling age that is higher.

For instance - your casino allows 18 year olds, but your state requires you to be 21. That means you cannot join unless you are 21, as per your state's regulations. On the other hand, if your state will allow 18 year olds but that particular gambling site requires you to be 21, you will have to be 21 - regardless of your state's requirements. This is the only real point of confusion, and it can be easily bypassed.

Age Requirement For Online Gambling Sites

As you will come to find, there are gambling age restrictions at the gambling sites you visit. These gambling ages requirements will be stipulated in the terms and condtions section of the site, or some variation of the rules of the site. These requirements are very important, and strictly enforced by the sites themselves.

One thing we can tell you not to do is attempt to gamble underage - be it online or in a brick and mortar venue. Even if you can enter the website or join up with pme, you will ultimately be going down a path you cannot finish walking. If you join a gambling site that you are not old enough to play with, be aware that they are fully entitled to confiscate your money.

No one likes losing, and losing without even having a chance to win is never fun. We have compiled the legal gambling ages in every state, so we recommend you take a look at these before you start to gamble.

It's best consult your local laws to find out the gambling age after you have checked with, and at least are old enough to gamble at the online casino or sportsbook you have chosen. If you meet the online gambling site but not the state, you are still not 'legally' allowed to wager regardless of where it operates. Getting caught illegally gambling online is not something that you want to have happen, as you will be stripped of accounts, money, and perhaps more.

We do not condone underage gambling and encourage all players to get informed. The age of gambling legally online is still a debated issue, with many states in the U.S. requiring bettors to be at least 21 years old. We do not foresee that changing in the near future though, if at all.

Find the legal gambling age for every state here.

Introduction to Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 31 tribal casinos with a unique type of electronic player terminal based on scratch tickets controlled by a state-wide Tribal Lottery System (TLS).

All state-tribal compacts set a minimum theoretical payout limit. However, no return statistics are publicly available.

This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.

Keep Reading … Or Watch Instead!

Or … Listen Instead!

Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast at Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music Amazon Audible Gaana Stitcher Pandora iHeart Radio Tune-In SoundCloud RadioPublic Deezer RSS and everywhere else you find your podcasts!

Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Washington*

The minimum legal gambling age in Washington depends upon the gambling activity:

  • Land-Based Casinos: 18/21 depending upon the casino
  • Poker Rooms: 18
  • Bingo: 18
  • Lottery: 18
  • Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Washington’s player terminals at tribal casinos are based on the lottery’s scratch ticket games in electronic form. This unique form of slot machines makes Washington slot machines unique in the U.S. All other U.S.-based lottery terminals are based on draw lotteries, not from lotteries other game: scratch tickets.

Twenty-nine tribes originally negotiated tribal-state compacts to offer gambling at tribal casinos. However, the state and these tribes could not agree whether Vegas-style slot machines should be legal in Washington.

Scratch-based gaming machines resulted from early negotiations of these gaming compacts. This impasse resolution led to creating a secondary lottery system for player terminals at tribal casinos. The state lottery was a model for the TLS.

Draw-based terminals create tickets at the time of the bet using random number generators (RNGs). However, scratch-based terminals know in advance the result of each wager. Put another way, the outcome of each bet is pre-determined and do not require an RNG.

Another technical difference between lottery draw tickets and scratch tickets is how many of them can exist. For example, there are as many draw tickets as players are willing to buy. However, lotteries create only a limited number of scratch tickets but, hopefully, enough for a busy night at a Washington tribal casino.

All negotiated tribal-state compacts also have other legal restrictions for their scratch-based terminal-style slot machines. These limits have been expanding over time as part of this state’s dynamic gaming industry. The requirements are:

  • Allows replaying of credits won
  • No handles
  • No mechanical spinning wheels
  • A minimum payout return (see below)
  • $5 maximum wager on 85% on VLTs
  • $20 maximum wager on 15% of VLTs
  • Cap of 2,500 VLT machines per tribe

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Washington

It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Washington if it is 25 years old or older.

Gaming Control Board in Washington

The gaming control board is the Washington State Gambling Commission offering licensing, regulation, and enforcement of certain aspects of the gaming industry in Washington. Their regulatory responsibilities primarily include testing and approving new electronic gaming machines.

Further, each tribe with a casino in Washington has a tribal gaming agency (TGA). Agents of a TGA are the primary regulators at tribal casinos. At all times, at least one TGA agent must be on duty at a tribal casino.

Casinos in Washington

There are 31 American Indian tribal casinos and multiple cruise ships based in the state of Washington.

The largest casino in Washington is Muckleshoot Casino with 3,125 electronic gaming terminals.

Washington State Casino Age Limit

The second-largest casino is Ilani Casino Resort with 2,500 electronic gaming terminals.

Commercial Casinos in Washington

The state of Washington has no commercial casinos with slot machines.

Tribal Casinos in Washington

The state of Washington has 31 tribal casinos:

  1. Angel of the Winds Casino Resort in Arlington, 50 miles north of Seattle
  2. BJ’s Bingo & Gaming in Fife near Tacoma
  3. Chewelah Casino in Chewelah, 50 miles north of Spokane
  4. Coulee Dam Casino in Coulee Dam, 40 miles north of Seattle, owned by 12 Tribes Colville Casinos
  5. Elwha River Casino in Port Angeles, 70 miles northwest of Seattle
  6. Emerald Queen Casino & Hotel (EQC) in Fife near Tacoma
  7. Emerald Queen Casino (EQC) I-5 in Tacoma
  8. Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, 25 miles north of Portland near the border to Oregon
  9. Kalispel Casino in Cusick, 53 miles north of Spokane
  10. Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, 23 miles north of Olympia
  11. Lucky Dog Casino in Skokomish, 23 miles north of Olympia
  12. Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel in Rochester, 26 miles south of Olympia
  13. Mill Bay Casino in Manson, 200 miles northeast of Seattle on the north shore of Lake Chelan, owned by 12 Tribes Colville Casinos
  14. Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, 20 miles south of Seattle
  15. Nooksack Northwood Casino in Lynden, 14 miles north of Bellingham
  16. Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Airway Heights, 10 miles west of Spokane
  17. The Point Casino in Kingston, 18 miles west of Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry
  18. Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub & Casino in Quil Ceda Village, 30 miles north of Seattle
  19. Quinault Beach Resort and Casino in Ocean Shores, 90 miles west of Tacoma
  20. Red Wind Casino in Olympia
  21. 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim, 70 miles northwest of Seattle by ferry
  22. Shoalwater Bay Casino in Tokeland, 75 miles southwest of Olympia
  23. Silver Reef Casino Resort in Ferndale, 17 miles north of Bellingham
  24. Skagit Valley Casino Resort in Bow, 75 miles north of Seattle
  25. Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, 30 miles east of Seattle
  26. Spokane Tribe Casino in Airway Heights, 9 miles west of Spokane
  27. Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, 15 miles west of Seattle via Bainbridge Ferry
  28. Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Anacortes, 70 miles north of Seattle
  29. Tulalip Casino in Quil Ceda Village, 30 miles north of Seattle
  30. 12 Tribes Casino in Omak, 165 miles northeast of Seattle, owned by 12 Tribes Colville Casinos
  31. Yakama Legends Casino in Toppenish, 20 miles south of Yakama

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Washington slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Washington is:

Age
  • North: The Canadian Province of British Columbia
  • East: Idaho Slots
  • South: Oregon Slots
  • West: The Pacific Ocean

Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Washington.

Our Washington Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Washington? If so, join our Washington slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Washington. Join us!

Payout Returns in Washington

Washington Casino Age Limit

The TLS directly controls the results of Washington’s unique terminal-style slot machines. TLS’ central computer system provides the outcome of each bet made on each terminal at the time of the wager. This off-site control extends to any bonus rounds.

All tribal-state compacts in Washington established a minimum theoretical payout of 75% for slot machines. Further, no return statistics for slots are available to the public.

Summary of Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Washington slot machine casino gambling consists of 31 tribal casinos with electronic scratch ticket video player terminal slot machines. The state-run Tribal Lottery System (TLS) controls the results of all bets offsite from the tribal casinos.

Tribal-state compacts have set a minimum theoretical payout of 75% for their unique terminal-style electronic slot machines. No return statistics are available to the public.

Washington Casino Age Limit

Annual Progress in Washington Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Over the last year, Tulalip Resort Casino with its 2,400 gaming machines has dropped from second largest casino to third largest, replaced by Ilani Casino Resort with its 2,500 gaming machines.

Further, two tribal casinos have opened within the last year, including Kalispel Casino in Cusick located 53 miles north of Spokane and Spokane Tribe Casino located in Airway Heights a few miles west of Spokane.

Related Articles from Professor Slots

Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots

  • Previous: Virginia Slot Machine Casino Gambling
  • Next: West Virginia Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC