SB 6137

CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
  SENATE BILL 6137
  Chapter 246, Laws of 2026
  69th Legislature
  2026 Regular Session
  SPORTS WAGERING—VARIOUS PROVISIONS
  EFFECTIVE DATE: June 11, 2026
Passed by the Senate March 10, 2026  CERTIFICATE
  Yeas 43 Nays 6
  I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of
  the   Senate   of  the   State   of
  DENNY HECK  Washington, do hereby certify that
President of the Senate  the attached is SENATE BILL 6137 as
  passed by the Senate and the House
  of Representatives on the dates
  hereon set forth.
Passed by the House March 6, 2026
  Yeas 70 Nays 26
  SARAH BANNISTER
  LAURIE JINKINS  Secretary
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
Approved March 30, 2026 2:48 PM  FILED
  March 31, 2026
  Secretary of State
  BOB FERGUSON  State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
  SENATE BILL 6137
  AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
  Passed Legislature - 2026 Regular Session
State of Washington  69th Legislature      2026 Regular Session
By Senators Cortes, Nobles, Saldaña, Stanford, and Wellman
Read first time 01/14/26.   Referred to Committee on Business, Trade &
Economic Development.
1      AN ACT Relating to bolstering the regulated sports wagering
2  industry; amending RCW 9.46.038, 9.46.0364, 9.46.0368, and 9.46.037;
3  and creating new sections.
4  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 1.   The state has long prohibited all forms
6 and means of gambling except where carefully and specifically
7 authorized and regulated. The legislature intends to bolster the
8 regulated sports wagering industry. Currently, sports wagering in
9 Washington is offered exclusively by tribal casinos subject to gaming
10 compacts entered pursuant to the Indian gaming regulatory act. This
11 offering has proven to meet the state's policy of offering gambling
12 only in a highly regulated environment that is safe for the public.
13     Sec. 2.   RCW 9.46.038 and 2020 c 127 s 11 are each amended to
14 read as follows:
15     (1)(a) For purposes of this chapter, "sports wagering" means the
16 business of accepting wagers on any of the following sporting events,
17 athletic events, or competitions by any system or method of wagering:
18     (i) A professional sport or athletic event;
19     (ii) A collegiate sport or athletic event;
20     (iii) An Olympic or international sports competition or event;
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1     (iv) An electronic sports or esports competition or event;
2     (v) A combination of sporting events, athletic events, or
3 competitions listed in (a)(i) through (iv) of this subsection (1); or
4     (vi) A portion of any sporting event, athletic event, or
5 competition listed in (a)(i) through (iv) of this subsection (1).
6     (b) Sports wagering does not include the business of accepting
7 wagers on horse racing authorized pursuant to chapter 67.16 RCW.
8     (2) For purposes of this section:
9     (a) "Collegiate sport or athletic event" means a sport or
10 athletic event offered or sponsored by, or played in connection with,
11 a public or private institution that offers education services beyond
12 the secondary level((, other than such an institution that is located
13 within the state of Washington)). Sports wagering may not be
14 conducted on:
15     (i) The performance or nonperformance of any specifically named
16 individual participant in any collegiate sport or athletic event who
17 is enrolled in an educational institution located within the state of
18 Washington;
19     (ii) An in-game decision made by a coach who is employed by an
20 educational institution located within the state of Washington; or
21     (iii) An officiating decision in a collegiate sport or athletic
22 event offered or sponsored by, or played in connection with, an
23 educational institution that is located within the state of
24 Washington.
25     (b) "Electronic or esports event" means a live event or
26 tournament attended or watched by members of the public where games
27 or matches are contested in real time by players and teams and
28 players or teams can win a prize based on their performance in the
29 live event or tournament.
30     (c) "In-game decision" means a player substitution, a call for a
31 timeout, a request or challenge for replay review, or an appeal of an
32 officiating decision.
33     (d) "Officiating decision" includes, but is not limited to, an
34 officiating assignment, a call or ruling for a penalty, foul,
35 violation, or replay, or any other decision by a sports official,
36 referee, or umpire that involves the individual's judgment.
37     (e) "Professional sport or athletic event" means an event that is
38 not a collegiate sport or athletic event at which two or more persons
39 participate in sports or athletic events and receive compensation in
40 excess of actual expenses for their participation in the event.
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1 "Professional sport or athletic event" does not include any minor
2 league sport. Sports wagering may not be conducted on any minor
3 league sport.
4     Sec. 3.   RCW 9.46.0364 and 2020 c 127 s 2 are each amended to
5 read as follows:
6     (1) Upon the request of a federally recognized Indian tribe or
7 tribes in the state of Washington, the tribe's class III gaming
8 compact may be amended pursuant to the Indian gaming regulatory act,
9 25 U.S.C. Sec. 2701 et seq., and RCW 9.46.360 to authorize the tribe
10 to conduct and operate sports wagering on ((its)) Indian lands,
11 provided the amendment addresses: Licensing; fees associated with the
12 gambling commission's regulation of sports wagering; how sports
13 wagering will be conducted, operated, and regulated; issues related
14 to criminal enforcement, including money laundering, sport integrity,
15 and information sharing between the commission and the tribe related
16 to such enforcement; and responsible and problem gambling. Sports
17 wagering conducted pursuant to the gaming compact is a gambling
18 activity authorized by this chapter.
19     (2) Sports wagering conducted pursuant to the provisions of a
20 class III gaming compact entered into by a tribe and the state
21 pursuant to RCW 9.46.360 is authorized bookmaking and is not subject
22 to civil or criminal penalties pursuant to RCW 9.46.225.
23     Sec. 4.   RCW 9.46.0368 and 2020 c 127 s 9 are each amended to
24 read as follows:
25     The transmission of gambling information over the internet for
26 any sports wagering conducted and operated under this section and RCW
27 9.46.0364 is authorized, provided that the wager may be placed and
28 accepted at a tribe's gaming facility only while the customer placing
29 the wager is physically present on the premises of ((that)) a tribe's
30 gaming facility.
31     Sec. 5. RCW 9.46.037 and 2020 c 127 s 5 are each amended to read
32 as follows:
33     (1)(a) No person shall offer, promise, give, or attempt to give
34 any thing of value to any person for the purpose of influencing the
35 outcome of a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon
36 which a wager may be made.
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1     (((2))) (b) No person shall place, increase, or decrease a wager
2 after acquiring knowledge, not available to the general public, that
3 anyone has been offered, promised, or given any thing of value for
4 the purpose of influencing the outcome of a sporting event, athletic
5 event, or competition upon which the wager is placed, increased, or
6 decreased.
7     (((3))) (c) No person shall offer, promise, give, or attempt to
8 give any thing of value to obtain confidential or insider information
9 not available to the public with intent to use the information to
10 gain a wagering advantage on a sporting event, athletic event, or
11 competition.
12     (((4))) (d) No person shall accept or agree to accept, any thing
13 of value for the purpose of wrongfully influencing his or her play,
14 action, decision making, or conduct in any sporting event, athletic
15 event, or competition upon which a wager may be made.
16     (((5))) (e) Any person who violates this ((section)) subsection
17 (1) shall be guilty of a class C felony subject to the penalty set
18 forth in RCW 9A.20.021.
19     (2)(a) No person shall knowingly threaten a sports official,
20 coach, or participant involved in a sporting event, athletic event,
21 or competition upon which a wager may be made where the threat is
22 related to a wager on an act or occurrence in that sporting event,
23 athletic event, or competition.
24     (i) A person violates this subsection (2)(a) if:
25     (A) Without lawful authority, the person threatens:
26     (I) To cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the
27 person threatened; or
28     (II) To cause physical damage immediately or in the future to the
29 property of the person threatened; or
30     (B) The person by words or conduct places the person threatened
31 in reasonable fear that the threat will be carried out. For the
32 purposes of this subsection, "words or conduct" includes, in addition
33 to any other form of communication or conduct, the sending of an
34 electronic communication.
35     (ii) Threatening words do not constitute a violation of this
36 subsection (2)(a) if it is apparent to the sports official, coach, or
37 participant that the person does not have the present and future
38 ability to carry out the threat.
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1      (b) Any person who violates (a) of this subsection shall be
2  guilty of a gross misdemeanor subject to the penalty set forth in RCW
3  9A.20.021.
4      (c) Any person who is convicted of violating this subsection (2)
5  may not place any sports wagers.
6      NEW SECTION.    Sec. 6.    If any provision of this act or its
7  application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
8  remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
9  persons or circumstances is not affected.
10     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 7.   This act may be known and cited as the
11 sports wagering integrity act.
  Passed by the Senate March 10, 2026.
  Passed by the House March 6, 2026.
  Approved by the Governor March 30, 2026.
  Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 31, 2026.
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