Self-exclusion in Washington

How to put yourself on Washington's self-exclusion list, what it covers, and what it does not.

1 of 12 things on this page could not be confirmed from an official source. They are marked, and each one says who to ask. We would rather leave a gap than fill it with a guess.

Programme

Washington State Gambling Commission statewide self-exclusion programme, enrolled on form GC4-034, launched in May 2022. Washington's Lottery runs a completely separate voluntary self-exclusion of its own, and you would have to do both.wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

Covers online betting

Not confirmed. The Commission's self-exclusion pages and its enrolment form say nothing about online or mobile gambling, or about sports betting — which in Washington is offered under tribal compacts rather than by state licensees. Silence is not a 'no', but it is not a 'yes' either: ask the Commission on 360-486-3440 or 1-800-345-2529 whether any app or online account is covered before you count on it. Check with Washington State Gambling Commission, 4565 7th Avenue SE, Lacey WA 98503; post to PO Box 42400, Olympia WA 98504-2400; 360-486-3440 or toll-free 1-800-345-2529..wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

Covers casinos and shops

Card rooms yes; tribal casinos, not at present. The Commission says 'The self-exclusion program allows you to voluntarily exclude yourself from gambling in all card rooms statewide', and states plainly that 'Tribal casinos are not currently participating in the Washington state self-exclusion program.' Its own pages are inconsistent about this — see the note. Treat tribal venues as not covered unless the Commission confirms otherwise, and contact each tribal casino separately.The Commission describes the scope three different ways across its own pages, and the other two wordings are not on the page cited here. Its 2022 launch announcement says a person can 'voluntarily exclude themselves from all non-tribal casinos statewide' and that 'Tribal casinos may also participate in this statewide self-exclusion program', at https://wsgc.wa.gov/news/2022/wsgc-statewide-self-exclusion-program-launch . The enrolment page refers to enrolling at 'any licensed house-banked card room or participating tribal casino', at https://wsgc.wa.gov/enrolling-self-exclusion-program .wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

Covers the lottery

No — the Lottery is separate, and its scheme is much weaker than it sounds. Washington's Lottery self-exclusion stops you collecting, not playing: 'A person who has voluntarily self-excluded from the Lottery cannot win a cash or promotional prize over $600 or any second chance prize', and asked whether you can still buy tickets the Lottery answers 'Yes', because 'it isn't possible for Lottery retailers and vending machines to check the voluntary self-exclusion list before making every sale.' The rule behind it offers one, three or five years and bars early exit (WAC 315-06-220).walottery.com, checked 3 October 2026

How long you can choose

One year, three years, five years or ten years. The enrolment form says 'Select the period of enrollment for self-exclusion' and offers those four options, with enrolment beginning when a completed form is accepted in person by a house-banked card room or the Commission, or received by mail.wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

Can it be undone

No. 'Once enrolled, you cannot request early removal', and the enrolment form says the same thing in its own words - see the note.Form GC4-034 states that 'Once enrolled, you cannot be removed from the program prior to the selected period of enrollment.' That sentence is on the form at https://wsgc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/4-034-self-exclusion.pdf , not on the web page cited for this field.wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

What happens when it ends

It does NOT end by itself — you stay excluded until you ask to come off. 'You will receive a notice 45 days before the expiration of your voluntary self-exclusion period', and then 'You will remain in the program until we receive and process your Removal Form', which must be notarised. Doing nothing keeps you excluded.This is the opposite of most states and it is good news if you want to stay out: inertia works in your favour, and the 45-day notice is a warning rather than a countdown you have to beat. The one thing to be ready for is that notice arriving in the post and tempting you to act on it — you do not have to do anything with it. Washington's Lottery programme behaves the other way round: under WAC 315-06-220 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=315-06-220) 'upon expiration of the selected period of enrollment, the participant will be removed from the program', so that one does lapse automatically.wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

How you sign up

Three routes, all requiring a government-issued photo ID with your full name and date of birth, a head-and-shoulders photograph, and a copy of a state driver's licence or state ID with photo, or a passport: in person at any licensed house-banked card room; in person at the Commission in Lacey (appointment bookable online); or by post to the Commission's Olympia PO box, in which case the form has to be notarised or signed by a certified problem gambling counsellor - see the note. Only the person enrolling may sign and submit it, and incomplete forms are rejected.The notarisation requirement for the postal route is stated on the Commission's enrolment page rather than on the form cited here: the form 'must be either notarized or signed by a certified problem gambling counselor', at https://wsgc.wa.gov/enrolling-self-exclusion-program .wsgc.wa.gov, checked 3 October 2026

Start Washington's form

Worth knowing before you start

Washington's programme is strong in one way and has a hole in another. The strength: it does not lapse. You stay in it until you ask to come out with a notarised removal form, which makes it one of the few state schemes that does not quietly reopen the doors on an anniversary. The hole: tribal casinos. Washington's casino gambling is overwhelmingly tribal, and the Commission says they are not currently participating, so a person who excludes themselves from every card room in the state can still walk into a tribal casino. If tribal venues are where you gamble, this form is not your answer on its own and you will need to contact each casino's own programme directly — and ask how long their ban lasts and whether it ends by itself, because those are set casino by casino. Note also that the Commission's own pages describe the scope three different ways (all card rooms statewide, all non-tribal casinos statewide, and 'participating tribal casino'), so if the tribal question is decisive for you, get the current position from the Commission rather than from any one page. Washington's Lottery is a separate enrolment and only blocks prizes over $600, not ticket sales, so pair it with a bank gambling block if lottery play is part of the problem. Helpline: 1-800-GAMBLER.

Done? The rest of the hour: blockers, a bank block, closing the accounts, telling one person.

Every fact on this page was read from an official source and dated. The oldest of them was checked on 3 October 2026. Tell us if something here is wrong.