Internet gaming illegal in washington?

[UncleDuke]

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If online gambling is illegal in the United States and Washington State, then why do I see them all over the Internet?

It is not illegal to operate an online or Internet gambling website in countries which permit it and when the people placing those bets are in those countries; it is illegal, however, to solicit bettors from the United States, under the federal Wire Wager Act. Also, people in Washington State who place bets on the Internet can be charged with Professional Gambling in the Third Degree, which is a gross misdemeanor.

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From what I've heard Washington does have a law that addresses online gambling, which may (I'm no expert on this) include poker. The federal stuff though most likely does not apply. I believe it has been ruled (although this doesn't mean a higher court couldn't rule differently one day) that the Wire Act does not cover things like online poker. Furthermore, if you look at the wording of the Wire Act quote, it says it is illegal to solicit bettors, not to be one of the bettors yourself.

Anyway, it appears that it may indeed be illegal to play online in WA state. I'm not sure what the likelihood of actually being prosecuted for it is, probably low unless you somehow make it very obvious to a government official who has issues with it, but that's a judgement call everyone must make for themselves. Although interpretations of laws can be fuzzy, I'm reasonably comfortable, at least for myself, that it is not a federal crime to play online poker. There are some people who would like it to be illegal though, and who knows what laws may be passed in the future.