Gambling & Gaming in Washington (2026)
21 rules on the books across Washington, 17 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Card Room Licensing
Local licensing or prohibition of card rooms and poker clubs, in states like California a card room may operate only where the city has adopted its own authorizing ordinance, so the local chapter controls tables, hours, and fees.
Washington: statewide
StatewideSignificant RestrictionsWashington's Gambling Commission is the only licensing authority for commercial card rooms statewide. RCW 9.46.070(2)…
Read full rule →Edmonds
Heavy RestrictionsEdmonds bans commercial card rooms outright. ECC 3.24.015 prohibits operating social card games as commercial…
Read full rule →Kirkland
Heavy RestrictionsKirkland bans social card games run as a commercial stimulant to boost food or drink sales, a gross misdemeanor…
Read full rule →Pierce County
Heavy RestrictionsUnincorporated Pierce County outright prohibits the operation of social card games, the category that covers commercial…
Read full rule →Seattle
Heavy RestrictionsSMC 12A.22.110 flatly bans running a public cardroom anywhere in Seattle: "It is unlawful for any person to conduct a…
Read full rule →Whatcom County
Heavy RestrictionsWhatcom County limits card games in the unincorporated county to bona fide charitable or nonprofit organizations…
Read full rule →Lynnwood
Significant RestrictionsLynnwood bans gambling activity as a gross misdemeanor by default, but LMC § 10.30.030 excepts games run under a…
Read full rule →Thurston County
Significant RestrictionsThurston County bans social card games at any premises under TCC 6.60.015 unless the game is regulated by the…
Read full rule →Yakima County
Significant RestrictionsYakima County allows social card rooms only in zones that already permit them and never within 500 feet of a school…
Read full rule →Auburn
Some RestrictionsAuburn allows licensed card rooms under Chapter 3.80 ACC, but every operator needs both a Washington State Gambling…
Read full rule →Cowlitz County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cowlitz County has no separate card-room licensing ordinance; instead it taxes card games directly. CCC…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Some RestrictionsFederal Way lets any established food-or-drink business run social card games as a commercial stimulant once…
Read full rule →Franklin County
Some RestrictionsFranklin County Code Chapter 3.08 authorizes card rooms in the unincorporated area only when they operate under a…
Read full rule →Kent
Some RestrictionsKent permits house-banked card rooms as commercial stimulant businesses under KCC 3.21.010(D), pursuant to RCW…
Read full rule →King County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated King County taxes licensed social card game rooms at 11 percent of annual gross receipts over $10,000…
Read full rule →Sammamish
Some RestrictionsSammamish does not license card rooms itself; state gambling licenses come from the Washington State Gambling…
Read full rule →Spokane County
Some RestrictionsSpokane County does not issue its own card-room license, but any card room operating in the unincorporated area must…
Read full rule →Spokane Valley
Some RestrictionsSpokane Valley does not ban card rooms but taxes social card games at 6% of gross revenue under SVMC § 3.25.020(A)(3)…
Read full rule →Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Bingo, raffles, and games of chance run by charities, including states like New York where the games are lawful only in municipalities that have locally adopted the state licensing scheme.
Sports Betting Law
Who governs sports wagering, a state-licensed activity everywhere it is legal, so the rules live in state statute and gaming-commission regulations rather than city code.
Social Gambling Rules
Whether private, social card games are exempt from gambling prohibitions, a carve-out defined in state law, plus any local rules layered on top of it.
Washington: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsWashington law defines a "player" under RCW 9.46.0265 as someone who gambles on equal terms with no profit beyond…
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