STATE TRACKER · WA
Sweepstakes casinos in Washington
Current status
Restricted
State action limits how sweepstakes casinos can operate here.
State action limits how operators run here, so what one offers can differ from its national terms. Check the effective date above and the operator's own terms for this state before you register. See the operators we track
- Sweeps Coins (SC) redemption
- Limited by state action
- Gold Coin (GC) free play
- Generally not targeted. 109 of 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Washington
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Age floor source
- RCW 26.28.010 (Age of majority)
PRIMARY-SOURCE NOTE
Washington lets players recover illegal gambling losses, and an app store case tests it
What the law does
Section 9.46.240 makes it a class C felony to knowingly send or receive gambling information by telephone, telegraph, radio, semaphore, the internet or similar means, or to knowingly install or maintain equipment for doing so1. Laws of 2006, ch. 290 amended the section, and its printed policy note says the state prohibits all forms and means of gambling except where carefully and specifically authorized and regulated, including gambling that exploits the internet1. Gambling itself, under section 9.46.0237, means staking something of value on a contest of chance or a future event outside the player's control, on the understanding that someone will receive something of value if a given outcome occurs2. Section 9.46.0285 counts any token exchangeable for money or property as a thing of value, along with a privilege of playing a game without charge3. For a class C felony, section 9A.20.021 sets the ceiling at five years of confinement, a fine of up to ten thousand dollars, or both4.
What has happened since
Our tracked event history for Washington holds no dated entry, no operator we track has a recorded exit from the state, and 109 are recorded as excluding it. The newest primary document we cite concerns social casino apps rather than a sweepstakes site. On July 9, 2026, the plaintiff in Horn v. Amazon.com, Inc. filed an unopposed motion for preliminary approval of a class settlement in the Western District of Washington7. He had sued under section 4.24.070, the loss recovery statute, and under the Consumer Protection Act7. The motion argues that chips bought with money are things of value under Washington law because they extend play, and it proposes a covenant judgment of $201,355,607.75 that the class would not execute against Amazon, with Amazon paying $2.5 million toward notice and administration7.
What is still open
The motion calls the case the latest in a decade of social casino suits in that district, this time aimed at the app store7. Our record shows no one bringing the same recovery claim against a site whose Sweeps Coins redeem for cash, and no ruling on a free route to those coins6. Section 9.46.0356 lets a business add entries with a purchase when a free method of entry exists, yet subsection (7) bars equipment or devices made for gambling from a promotional contest unless the commission authorizes them5. The Gambling Commission's sweepstakes FAQ answers no when asked whether sweepstakes marketed online are legal in Washington, calling them a raffle and promotional contest hybrid the law does not authorize8. It does not address slot-style games by name8.
- Enforcement search
- Our event history for Washington holds no enforcement action naming a sweepstakes casino. The newest primary document we cite is a proposed class settlement over virtual casino chips sold through the Amazon Appstore, brought under the state's statute for recovering money lost at gambling.
Sources for this note
- RCW 9.46.240, gambling information, transmitting or receiving (Washington State Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- RCW 9.46.0237, definition of gambling (Washington State Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- RCW 9.46.0285, definition of thing of value (Washington State Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- RCW 9A.20.021, maximum sentences (Washington State Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- RCW 9.46.0356, promotional contests of chance (Washington State Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- RCW 4.24.070, recovery of money lost at gambling (Washington State Legislature) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Horn v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 2:23-cv-01727-RSL (W.D. Wash.), Dkt. 131, unopposed motion for preliminary approval, filed July 9, 2026 (RECAP copy) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Sweepstakes FAQ (Washington State Gambling Commission) accessed Sep 28, 2026
Sources rechecked 2026-09-28. Next scheduled review 2026-12-28.
What the law says
Knowingly transmitting or receiving gambling information over the internet, or maintaining equipment to do so, is a class C felony under RCW 9.46.240 (penalties per RCW 9A.20.021), unless the activity is state-authorized (compacted tribal gaming, compliant sports wagering).
Operators and Washington
Because of Washington's status, we don't list or link operator promotions for this state.
109 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Washington players, and 58 of those records cite the operator's own terms.
3 operators we track do not list Washington among excluded states in the terms we last read, dated June 10, 2026 to July 7, 2026.
Of the remaining records that do not exclude Washington, 9 carry over from our bulk backfill without a terms citation.
Operator families whose every tracked brand is recorded as not accepting Washington: B-Two Operations Limited, Kinetix Ventures, Inc., Mamba Limited, Realplay Tech Inc, UTech Solutions LLC and VGW (Virtual Gaming Worlds).
How this classification was reached
Show the record, the citation and the method
What the Washington classification rests on
- Source date
- Not recorded
- Last human review
- August 9, 2026
- Effective date
- Not recorded
- Basis of classification
- statutory
Where the operator counts come from
Of the 12 records that do not exclude Washington, 2 cite the operator's own terms or rules, 1 is inferred because the terms do not list Washington and 9 come from our bulk backfill without a terms citation. Of the 109 exclusion records, 48 cite the operator's own terms or rules, 10 come from a backfill of the operator's terms, 1 comes from the operator's site configuration and 50 come from our bulk backfill without a terms citation.
Citation as stored
Wash. Rev. Code § 9.46.0237 (gambling definition); § 9.46.240 (internet gambling: class C felony).
Primary sources on file
Method
Methodology · Corrections · Changelog · How to read a state page
Washington questions
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Washington?
State action limits how sweepstakes casinos can operate here. Authority: Wash. Rev. Code § 9.46.0237.
Can money lost at an illegal gambling game be recovered under Washington law?
Section 4.24.070 gives anyone who loses money or anything of value at an illegal gambling game a cause of action to recover it from the dealer or player who won, or from the proprietor the game was run for.
Which operators accept Washington players?
109 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Washington players, and 58 of those records cite the operator's own terms. Trust Score leaderboard →
This page is information, not legal advice. Laws and thresholds change quickly, so confirm with the operator and your state attorney general before depositing, or consult a lawyer. Last verified August 9, 2026. Send a correction.