The Washington State Executive Ethics Board released an ethics tip related to March Madness, in part, as follows:
- ‘March madness brings talk of hoops and rebounds, brackets and the Sweet Sixteen, but what you want to watch out for is participating in an office sports pool regarding basketball, or any other sport that is conducted in a state facility and using state resources.
- Sports pools, in general, are authorized under RCW 9.46.0335 as long as they are conducted according to the manner specifically set forth in that statute. So, while they may be legal in general, they should still not take place in a state agency using state resources per the Ethics in Public Service Act, RCW 42.52 (“the Act”).
- The Ethics Board opined on this issue in Advisory Opinion 02-05 when they determined that gambling activities, including conducting a sports pool, “are private activities that are incompatible with official state duties and allowing even an occasional or limited use of state facilities to facilitate such activities undermines public confidence in state government.” This opinion held that conducting/participating in a sports pool would violate at least RCW 42.52.020…’
In summary, to avoid violating ethics rules: if you and coworkers wish to engage in sports pools, do so on your own time, using your own resources and without any office/unit engagement. Even then, take care not to violate any state gambling rules on sports wagering – info can be found at https://www.wsgc.wa.gov/education/sports-wagering.
See http://ethics.wa.gov for the full advisory or contact the Office of Internal Audit at ia.central@wsu.edu.
