There are no casinos in Vermont or Hawaii, but every other state will allow you to place some kind of bet – at a horse or dog track, casino, racino – some kind of wager.
Washington State is not different. As a matter of fact, there are 128 different places you can wager in Washington, be it a full-blown casino or poker room. The American Casino Guide has more than $1,000 in coupons if you want to take up the offer of the state’s tourism board and head for the Great Northwest.
Just make sure you leave your computer at home, because if you place an on-line bet in Washington, the moral police (and perhaps the regular police) will come down on your sensitive parts with a sledgehammer. Playing any kind of casino game or placing a sports bet in Washington now is a Class C felony, which means lawmakers have made placing a $5 bet on-line bet on the Seahawks to be equivalent with possessing child pornography, threatening the governor or torturing an animal.
[Note: One published report indicated that the state is so paranoid about on-line gambling that even writing about it will get you in ankle-deep mud. A columnist for the Seattle Times got grief from the authorities after publishing on-line gambling links in one of his stories.]
The big brothers in Washington say the law is on the books only to protect gamblers from themselves and from organized crime which would naturally be involved. Right. They’re not out to bag small-time bettors, just make sure that gamblers aren’t screwed over by sites that don’t pay off. Left unsaid was the fear that on-line wagering would keep people out of the dozens of casinos in the state, which would certainly cut down on tax revenue into Washington coffers.
The Washington Supreme Court has already upheld the law, which many had expected to be overturned. So if you don’t want to be treated like a repeat drunken driver, don’t log on in Washington. But like a polite casino pit boss escorting a card counter away from a blackjack table, the state invites you to drop a few bucks on any of its other games of chance. The state tourism includes the following cheery welcome:
Want to roll the dice, spin the wheel, double down, play the ponies, sink one in the corner pocket or try to hit the jackpot? You’ll find what you’re looking for here. Washington State offers thoroughbred horseracing, bingo parlors, pool halls, billiard rooms, card rooms and a wide range of casinos, from the laidback to the luxurious. Get in the game.
Hot Forum Topics
