TL;DR

- Washington’s gambling statute still makes it a Class C felony to transmit or receive gambling information over the internet, which covers real-money online poker.[^rcw-946240]
- The penalty for a Class C felony is up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.[^rcw-9a20021]
- The Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) continues to warn operators after the Big Fish Casino case; even free-play poker rooms such as PokerStars shut off access for Washington IPs following that decision.[^wsgc-bigfish]
- Sports betting became legal in 2020, but only on tribal lands and only through tribal sportsbooks—nothing in that law authorizes statewide online poker.[^vi-2025]
- As of April 2025, industry trackers still report “no movement” toward legalizing online casinos or poker in the legislature.[^vi-2025]

The law in plain English

RCW 9.46.240 prohibits “knowingly transmitting or receiving gambling information” by internet or similar means, unless the activity is otherwise authorized under the Gambling Act.[^rcw-946240] Online poker is not authorized, so playing or operating a site from inside Washington fits that definition. Because the offense is classified as a Class C felony, RCW 9A.20.021 sets the sentencing ceiling at five years in prison or a $10,000 fine (or both).[^rcw-9a20021]

Washington is an outlier here. Plenty of states simply leave unlicensed online poker in a gray zone; Washington explicitly criminalizes it, which is why national poker rooms either geoblock the state or warn players that they’re playing at their own risk.

Enforcement history: Big Fish and beyond

When the Ninth Circuit ruled in 2018 that the virtual chips in Big Fish Casino counted as “something of value,” it confirmed that Washington’s gambling definition reaches even social casinos.[^wsgc-bigfish] In response, PokerStars and other major platforms voluntarily blocked Washington users entirely. The WSGC stressed at the time that it had not ordered the shutdown—the operators simply saw how strict the law is and opted out.

Since then, the Commission has doubled down on guidance that “all gambling is illegal unless specifically authorized.” That’s why you’ll still see cease-and-desist letters aimed at sweepstakes casinos, skill-game startups, or offshore poker rooms marketing to Washington residents.

What has (and hasn’t) changed since 2020

The only modern expansion the legislature has passed is tribal sports betting. Compacts amended in 2020 allow wagers on tribal property, sometimes via on-premise mobile apps, but the statute does not open any door for statewide online casino or poker play.[^vi-2025]

VegasInsider’s 2026 outlook sums it up succinctly:
- Online gambling remains a felony under the 2006 law.
- Sweepstake/social casinos continue to face lawsuits.
- “Washington gambling laws 2025 show no movement toward legalizing online casinos. Things remain unchanged as of April.”[^vi-2025]

No lawmaker has filed an online poker bill in the 2025–26 regular session, and the only gambling bill on the docket (SB 5196) focuses on confidentiality of data submitted to the Gambling Commission—not on expanding games.[^legiscan-sb5196]

What Washington players can still do legally

Even with the online ban, several avenues remain legal:

1. Tribal and licensed card rooms. Twenty-nine tribes operate Class III casinos, many with live poker rooms. These are fully legal because they operate under tribal–state compacts overseen by the WSGC.[^vi-2025]
2. Social home games. RCW 9.46.0265’s definition of a “player” confirms that a true social game—where everyone plays on equal terms and no house rake is taken—remains legal. Supplying cards or hosting friends without charging a fee doesn’t turn you into an illegal operator.[^rcw-9460265]
3. State-authorized gambling. The lottery, charitable gaming, licensed pull tabs, pari-mutuel horse racing, and on-premise tribal sports betting are all lawful options.[^vi-2025]

If you stay within those guardrails, you’re complying with state law. The moment real-money poker crosses onto the public internet, however, RCW 9.46.240 kicks in.

Practical advice if you host games

• Keep the game private, not public. Invitations among friends with no rake align with the “player” exception.
• Don’t take a cut, charge a seat fee, or sell chips at a markup. Those actions can be construed as “professional gambling” under Washington law.
• If you want to speed up dealing without risking the internet felony provision, use a hybrid approach like RbPkr: the cards stay on local devices within your home network, while chips stay on the table. (That’s exactly why we built it.)

Outlook: still waiting

In short, Washington has not budged on online poker. Sports betting’s limited rollout shows that lawmakers will approve gambling expansion only when it’s tightly tied to tribal operations. Unless that political calculus changes, expect 2026 to look just like 2006 for online poker fans.

We’ll keep tracking any bill filings or compact renegotiations. For now, the safest path is to respect the current statutes and keep your poker nights firmly offline.

Sources

[^rcw-946240]: RCW 9.46.240 — Gambling information, transmitting or receiving (Washington State Legislature)
[^rcw-9a20021]: RCW 9A.20.021 — Maximum sentences for crimes committed July 1, 1984, and after (Washington State Legislature)
[^wsgc-bigfish]: Washington State Gambling Commission statement after Kater v. Churchill Downs Inc. (April 4, 2018)
[^vi-2025]: “Washington Online Casinos 2026: Laws, Alternatives & Top Picks,” VegasInsider (updated April 2025)
[^rcw-9460265]: RCW 9.46.0265 — “Player” definition (Washington State Legislature)
[^legiscan-sb5196]: Washington SB 5196 (2025–26 Regular Session) — proprietary gambling data exemption (LegiScan)