Washington Casinos
The state of Washington is known as being one of the more liberal states in the country, so it only follows that they have taken a fairly lax stance with regard to casino gambling. No matter what part of the state you find yourself in, the fact of the matter is that there are seemingly endless casino options. Whether we are talking about poker rooms, casinos at racetracks, or Tribal casinos, there is plenty of variety to be had.
The following few sections are aimed at giving you a better idea of what the brick and mortar casino landscape looks like in Washington. Things are still evolving all the time, so while the casino industry is thriving now, there are plenty of folks who think that things are only going to get better.
Washington Casinos
7 Cedars Casino
Angel of the Winds Casino
Buzz Inn Casino and Steakhouse
Casino Snoqualmie
Chewelah Casino
Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort
Clearwater Poker Room
Club Hollywood Casino
Coulee Dam Casino
Coyote Bob’s Casino
Crazy Moose Casino-Mountlake
Crazy Moose Casino-Pasco
Elwha River Casino
Emerald Downs Race Track
Emerald Queen Casino
Golden Nugget Casino
Joker’s Casino
Lancer Casino
Legends Casino at Yakima Nation
Little Creek Casino and Resort
Lucky Dog Casino
Lucky Eagle Casino
Lucky Dragonz Casino
Mill Bay Casino
Mr. Z’s Casino
Muckleshoot Indian Casino
New Phoenix Casino
Nisqually Red Wind Casino
Nob Hill Casino
Nooksack Northwood Casino
Nooksack River Casino
Northern Quest Casino
Okanogan Casino and Bingo
Quinault Beach Resort and Casino
Red Dragon Casino
Roxy’s Casino
Royal Casino
Shoalwater Bay Casino
Silver Dollar Casino-Mill Creek
Silver Dollar Casino-Renton
Silver Dollar Casino-SeaTac
Silver Reed Casino
Skagit Valley Casino
Swinomish Northern Lights Casino
The Point Casino
Tulalip Resort Casino at Quil Ceda
Tulalip Resort Casino
Two Rivers Casino
Wild Goose Casino
Wizards Casino
Native American/Tribal Casinos
A large number of the casinos and gambling establishments in the state of Washington fall under the category of Native American casinos. This is the case in many other states as well. Basically, the passing of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 paved the way for Native American tribes to operate casinos on their own land so long as the state in which their land was situated agreed. This was never much of an issue in Washington, seen in the large number of Native American casinos situated there.
Card Rooms
Though there are no full-scale commercial casinos other than those owned and operated by Native Americans, there are card rooms. Card rooms are able to exist because they offer the many different variants of poker. The basic sentiment behind card rooms being legal is that poker is a game of skill, not luck. So while blackjack may be left out in the cold, the many card rooms across the state can facilitate the playing of cash games and tournaments at most any time of year.
Riverboat Casinos
Though they are referred to, technically, as riverboat casinos, those that exist in Washington are based and operated on the ocean. Basically, these boats travel out to international waters where there are no restrictions on gambling. Once far enough away from shore, the boats become full-service casinos that are able to offer slot games, table games, and everything in between.
Washington Casino History
When the state of Washington was officially sanctioned, there were very strong anti-gambling sentiments that abounded. While the Puritanical views of the time didn’t necessarily single out gambling, they aimed at doing away with all vices, and this included gambling. For a long while, there were virtually no casino-style gambling options available for anyone in the state.
In 1933, the tide began to slowly shift as state lawmakers moved to legalize and regulate pari-mutuel gambling at horse tracks. For a few decades, this was the only style of gambling available. Then, in the 1970s Washington went the same direction as many other states and moved to allow for charitable gambling. In essence, charitable gambling mandated that no one, other than charitable organizations, be able to benefit from the proceeds from something like a bingo night.
It wasn’t until 1992 when the state reached a deal with Native tribes and allowed them to begin building casinos. In 1997, the scope of gambling was expanded a bit more as card rooms were legalized on the basis of poker games being games of skill rather than luck-based. Since the mid-1990s the casino industry has grown significantly, but the scope of gambling remains the same. There are still no commercial casinos owned off of Native lands.