Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has signed a new law ending the state’s ban on betting on in-state college teams at tribal sportsbooks. The law was signed on March 30 and takes effect on June 11.
For the first time since the state authorized sports betting in 2020, fans will be able to place bets on their local favorites, including the University of Washington and Gonzaga University.
Under the law, betting is still limited to tribal casinos, and customers must place their wagers in person at the facility.
While the law expands the state’s sports betting market, it maintains several integrity-focused restrictions. For example, player prop bets, along with wagers on coaching decisions and officiating, are still prohibited under the new law.
Given the restrictions, the law is more of a controlled expansion than a total opening up of the market. And lawmakers framed it that way, describing the measure as bolstering the regulated sports wagering industry while restricting gambling to a supervised environment.
Law Places Strict Limits on Player Prop Bets
What stands out about the law is what it doesn’t allow. Even though betting on collegiate sports is now legal in Washington, bettors won’t be able to place wagers on “the performance or nonperformance of any specifically named individual participant” if they’re enrolled at a college or university in the state.
While player prop bets are prohibited under the new law, it does allow for “portion-of-game,” where wagers are placed on specific parts of a game, such as the halftime score or the outcome of a single quarter. That means some of the most popular bets will still be available to bettors in the state without shining the spotlight on a single student.
Proponents welcomed the measure, saying Washingtonians were already placing bets on local teams on offshore sites. Legalizing collegiate betting allows the state to capture that revenue and provide bettors with a safer, monitored environment.
The new law also comes with new integrity standards. Knowingly threatening a sports official, coach, or participant over a wager-related act or occurrence in a sporting event is now a gross misdemeanor, and anyone convicted of a violation will be barred from placing sports wagers.
NCAA Wants Player Prop Bets Banned
The new law’s limits on individual wagering on a college athlete’s performance fit into the ongoing debate about college betting markets, where player prop bets have come under increased scrutiny over harassment and integrity concerns.
In January, on the same day indictments were unsealed in a point-shaving scheme that rocked college basketball, the NCAA sent a letter to state regulators calling on them to ban prop bets on college athletes, warning that those wagers can increase the risk of spot-fixing, the solicitation of insider information, and direct abuse aimed at players.
A recent survey backs up the association’s warnings about player harassment, with the latest NCAA Student-Athlete Needs, Aspirations and Perspectives survey showing that nearly half of men’s Division I basketball players had experienced betting-related abuse.
While Washington’s law stops short of banning all prop bets, it does draw the line at those most likely to put student-athletes, coaches, and officials under direct pressure.
