Washington State Sports Betting is Off to a Roaring Start for the MLB Season

Peter LewisPeter Lewis | April 13, 2023
Washington State Sports Betting is Off to a Roaring Start for the MLB Season

You just had a feeling things were going to be booming for Washington sports betting as soon as late March arrived. One of the top betting seasons for the state has to be when Major League Baseball is back in action. With the Seattle Mariners having so much promise, people are fired up to see what they can do in 2023. And with that, Washington state sports betting is off to a roaring start for the MLB season, which isn’t a surprise at all.

Indeed, the numbers have been high thus far for in-person bets across the board. The same can be said for online wagers while on tribal lands. With the Mariners in particular, this team is ready to make plenty of noise for the rest of the campaign. While things haven’t gotten off the way they planned thus far, no one can argue that Seattle has a ton of potential. They’re hoping to get back to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Last season, the Mariners were able to turn plenty of heads after they booked a trip to the postseason for the first time since 2001. Not only that, but they were able to take down the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card Round. Oh, and Julio Rodriguez won AL Rookie of the Year. Don’t forget that star pitcher Luis Castillo was sensational from the moment the trade to land his services was finalized.

In addition to the excitement for the Mariners, people all over Washington have their eyes on all the different MLB betting odds as well. There are countless prop bets, game bets and World Series wagers to be placed. Thus far, people haven’t hesitated in getting their bets in. Things are only going to heat up once the season really gets in full swing. This is something that will be great news for Washington lawmakers and officials.

Sports fans are hoping for expanded online betting options in Washington

As exciting as the news is that betting is on the rise for the start of the baseball campaign, sports fans are hoping for expanded online betting options in Washington. As things stand, people can only make mobile bets if they’re at a tribal casino. So, if you’re at home watching a game and you want to make a live bet on the action, that’s still not an option for you in the state of Washington. This is something people want to be changed as soon as possible.

Despite the tribal casinos making it easy to work an app and place a bet, why not be able to place a wager while you’re on the run somewhere else? Several other states have full online betting options, which allow you to make a bet wherever you may be. Say you’re out shopping for groceries at the market and you remember that the Mariners are about to get going with a game. You could in theory place a bet from your phone while still at the store.

That’s the kind of flexibility that people in Washington want to see get done. There was hope that expanded betting options would arrive earlier this year, but a lawsuit was thrown out by a judge. In that lawsuit, several cardroom owners were arguing that it wasn’t fair for all of the betting action to be in the hands of the tribes. However, they agreed to their deal with the state, giving them total authority.

Had the lawsuit overturned things, then we could have potentially seen online betting take a new step as well. However, that wasn’t the case and now people are going to have to wait a little longer for change to arrive. The tribes don’t appear to be in a rush to work with lawmakers and officials to get something done. This has a lot of people all over the state a bit disappointed. At the end of the day, there’s still work that needs to be done in Washington.

People in Washington are betting on the NFL Draft as well

One thing to keep in mind here too moving forward is that people in Washington are betting on the NFL Draft as well. Right now, there are strong NFL betting odds that the Seattle Seahawks will end up taking pass-rusher Tyree Wilson No. 5 overall in the first round, which is scheduled for April 27.

The expectation is that the first four picks will go as follows: C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr. and Anthony Richardson. There are talks about Will Levis being the next best player available, but the Seahawks don’t need a quarterback after they signed Geno Smith to his new three-year deal.

From our chair, it would make the most sense for the Seahawks to go after a playmaker on defense to help the pass rush. This is where Wilson would come in for them. Leading up to the first round, countless bets on the Seahawks and the No. 5 overall pick are surely going to come in from fans. It will be interesting to see who general manager John Schneider goes with.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football, baseball and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university. Over time, Peter has cultivated extensive knowledge covering sports betting legislation across the country. He closely tracks the latest regulatory developments and provides key insights into their impacts. Peter also offers sharp MLB betting analysis, leveraging stats and trends to identify value on matchups.

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