Washington statute
RCW 9.46.037 — Sports wagering—Prohibited activities—Penalty
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 9.46: Gambling—1973 Act, Revised Code of Washington.
Full text of RCW 9.46.037
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the official text of the Revised Code of Washington from the Code Reviser's published files; it is not the official statutes of the State of Washington.
(1)(a) No person shall offer, promise, give, or attempt to give any thing of value to any person for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which a wager may be made.
(b) No person shall place, increase, or decrease a wager after acquiring knowledge, not available to the general public, that anyone has been offered, promised, or given any thing of value for the purpose of influencing the outcome of a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which the wager is placed, increased, or decreased.
(c) No person shall offer, promise, give, or attempt to give any thing of value to obtain confidential or insider information not available to the public with intent to use the information to gain a wagering advantage on a sporting event, athletic event, or competition.
(d) No person shall accept or agree to accept, any thing of value for the purpose of wrongfully influencing his or her play, action, decision making, or conduct in any sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which a wager may be made.
(e) Any person who violates this subsection (1) shall be guilty of a class C felony subject to the penalty set forth in RCW 9A.20.021.
(2)(a) No person shall knowingly threaten a sports official, coach, or participant involved in a sporting event, athletic event, or competition upon which a wager may be made where the threat is related to a wager on an act or occurrence in that sporting event, athletic event, or competition.
(i) A person violates this subsection (2)(a) if:
(A) Without lawful authority, the person threatens:
(I) To cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the person threatened; or
(II) To cause physical damage immediately or in the future to the property of the person threatened; or
(B) The person by words or conduct places the person threatened in reasonable fear that the threat will be carried out. For the purposes of this subsection, "words or conduct" includes, in addition to any other form of communication or conduct, the sending of an electronic communication.
(ii) Threatening words do not constitute a violation of this subsection (2)(a) if it is apparent to the sports official, coach, or participant that the person does not have the present and future ability to carry out the threat.
(b) Any person who violates (a) of this subsection shall be guilty of a gross misdemeanor subject to the penalty set forth in RCW 9A.20.021.
(c) Any person who is convicted of violating this subsection (2) may not place any sports wagers.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.