Gambling Self-Exclusion in Washington

How does Washington's self-exclusion program work?

Statewide Self-Exclusion Program is run by Washington State Gambling Commission. You enroll once and every operator it covers must refuse you for the term you chose.

Run by

Washington State Gambling Commission

What it covers

One form excludes you from all privately owned house-banked card rooms statewide and from tribal casinos that choose to participate.

Durations

1 year · 3 years · 5 years · 10 years

Help line

1-800-547-6133

How do I sign up for self-exclusion in Washington?

Washington's self-exclusion form is on the official Washington State Gambling Commission page linked below — there is no fee and no third party needs to be involved.

1. 1 In person at any licensed house-banked card room or participating tribal casino: ask staff for the self-exclusion enrollment form and return it to an employee
2. 2 By mail, with the form notarized or signed by a certified problem gambling counselor
3. 3 By appointment at Gambling Commission headquarters in Lacey, WA (book online; questions to [email protected]); there is currently no online enrollment

Official page: wsgc.wa.gov/responsible-gaming-self-exclusion/self-exclusion-voluntarily-exclude-yourself-gambling-activities — enroll there directly, never through a third-party site.

How do I get off the Washington self-exclusion list?

Washington will warn you it is ending and then keep you on the list anyway. The Gambling Commission: “You will remain in the program until we receive and process your Removal Form.”

Can it be ended early?

No. The term you pick is the term you serve.

At the end of the term

You stay on the list until you apply to come off. Reaching the end date on its own does nothing.

1. 1 Wait out the enrollment period. Asked whether it can be ended early, the Commission answers: “No. You can only remove yourself from the program after the initial enrollment period you selected has expired.”
2. 2 Expect a heads-up. The Commission: “We will notify you 45 days prior to the end of their initial enrollment period.”
3. 3 After the term expires, complete the Self-Exclusion Program Removal Form. By mail it “must be either notarized or signed by a certified problem gambling counselor”; the alternative is an appointment in Lacey to do it in person.
4. 4 You stay in the program until the Commission receives and processes that form. The end date on its own does nothing.

Washington offers no lifetime option, and tribal casino participation is voluntary - not every tribal property honours the state list either way.

Worth saying plainly: wanting off the list is not the same as being ready to gamble again, and the urge to check usually arrives long before the term does. What actually happens when people come off a self-exclusion list goes through that in full.

What should I watch out for with Washington self-exclusion?

Launched May 2022. Tribal casino participation is voluntary, so not every tribal casino honors the state list, and there is no lifetime option. Once enrolled you cannot request early removal. The phone number is the 24/7 Washington State Problem Gambling Helpline run by the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling.

Is self-exclusion enough on its own in Washington?

Washington's program only binds operators licensed in the state — offshore sites and crypto casinos ignore it. The setup that holds is layered: self-exclusion, plus a ban inside each betting app you hold, plus a blocker that locks betting apps on your phone plus a block on gambling transactions at your bank. For the full walkthrough, start with our self-exclusion guide or the complete guide to quitting gambling.

Gambling across the Washington line?

A state program only binds operators licensed in that state. If you drive to a casino or bet on an app registered next door, you need that state's ban too.

• Idaho: no state list — the alternatives
• Oregon: no state list — the alternatives

Or compare every US state's program side by side.

Frequently asked questions