Seattle, WA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SMC 12A.22.110
- Rule
- Public cardrooms prohibited citywide
- Companion ban
- SMC 12A.50.010, social card games on premises
- Max penalty (12A.22.110)
- $5,000 fine, 364 days jail
- Max penalty (12A.50.020)
- $500 fine, 180 days jail
- Exceptions
- Licensed nonprofits; private residences
Summary
SMC 12A.22.110 flatly bans running a public cardroom anywhere in Seattle: "It is unlawful for any person to conduct a public cardroom in the City." A companion ban at SMC 12A.50.010 also outlaws letting any premises be used for social card games, with narrow exceptions for licensed nonprofits and private homes.
12A.22.110 - Public cardrooms prohibited. It is unlawful for any person to conduct a public cardroom in the City. ... 12A.50.010 - Use of premises for social card games prohibited. It is unlawful within the City for any person to allow any premises or any facilities to be used for, to participate in or to conduct as a commercial stimulant or otherwise, any social card game as defined in RCW 9.46.020; provided, that this Section 12A.50.010 shall not apply to social card games conducted or played by members on the premises of a licensed, bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization... and provided, further, that this Section 12A.50.010 shall not apply to social card games conducted or played in the dwelling or other place of residence of one of the players.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
110 is a one-sentence, unqualified prohibition on conducting a public cardroom in the city, Seattle allows no local licensing path for commercial cardrooms of the kind Washington's Gambling Act permits some cities to authorize. 46. 020" as a commercial stimulant or otherwise. That ban carves out two exceptions, social card games played by members on the premises of a licensed, bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization, and games played in the dwelling or residence of one of the players. Neither section grants a permit process for a Seattle cardroom business; the prohibition is absolute for any commercial or public operation.
Violations & Fines
SMC 12A.22.110 states no penalty of its own, so it defaults under SMC 12A.02.070.A to the citywide ceiling for an unclassified crime: up to $5,000 in fines, up to 364 days in jail, or both. The companion social-card-game ban at SMC 12A.50.020 carries its own stated penalty, a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment of not more than 180 days, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a cardroom or poker room business in Seattle?
Can a bar or private club host card games in Seattle?
Is playing poker at home with friends illegal in Seattle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seattle
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle card room licensing.