Understanding Age Restrictions: How Old Do You Have to Be to Gamble in Your State?

Understanding Age Restrictions: How Old Do You Have to Be to Gamble in Your State?

Gambling laws in the United States are complicated. Since there are very few federal laws on the books, every state is allowed to make its own rules.

This means types of gambling can be legal in one state but illegal in the state right next door. If you are having trouble making sense of it all, don’t worry. We are here to help.

In this complete guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about one of the most complicated parts of US gambling legislation: minimum gambling ages.

We’ll cover why gambling ages differ between states, how some games are regulated differently than others, and more.

Minimum Age by State

One of the biggest differences from state to state in the US is their legal gambling ages. Some take a more lax approach and allow all adults to participate in commercial gambling.

Others, such as Texas, require you to be 21 or older and have strict different rules for different types of gambling.

Whatever age you are, you should look up your state’s gambling laws before playing. Make sure the type of gambling you want to take part in is actually legal. Then, if you are under 21, make sure you are old enough to play. 

States With a Minimum Age of 18

Eighteen is the age at which you officially become an adult in the US. You can vote, you can get a tattoo, and skydive without your parents’ permission. What you can’t do, though, is gamble. In most states, at least.

California, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Washington are the only states that allow you to play casino games when you turn 18.

Some others let you take part in other types of gambling. By and large, though, if you want to gamble in the US, you have to wait until you turn 21.

States With a Minimum Age of 21

Barring the states listed in the last section, you have to be 21 years old or older to play casino games and bet on sports in the US. However, it’s usually a little more complicated than that.

Most states with a legal gambling age of 21 have lower minimum ages for other forms of gambling. There can even be a big gap between two similar types of gambling.

In Maine and Ohio, you can’t play casino games, slot machines, bet on sports, participate in pari-mutuel betting, or play poker until you are 21. However, you can play bingo as soon as you turn 16.

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States With Varying Minimum Ages

The type of game is not the only thing that affects the legal gambling age in a state. Frankly, many states, like Georgia, have very complicated gambling laws that can change the minimum gambling age from casino to casino.

Tribal casinos, for example, often have different gambling ages than non-tribal ones. In some states, the gambling age is lower. In others, it’s actually higher.

Other things offered by a casino can also affect the gambling age. In California, you must be 21+ to have access to gambling at a tribal casino with a bar. If the tribal casino doesn’t have an alcohol license, though, you can play legally when you are 18 years old.

Types of Gambling Markets

Some estimates say that US casinos alone generate nearly $329 billion a year in economic activity every year. What makes this even more impressive is that each state regulates gambling differently, so the market is fragmented compared to other countries.

Another thing that makes this number so mind-blowing is that land-based casinos are not the only way to gamble in the US. Sports betting, online gambling activities, and lottery games are just some of the other ways Americans gamble every year.

Casino Gambling

While casinos are not the only way to gamble in the US, land-based casinos are arguably still the most popular way to gamble in America. Nearly every state in the country has a land-based casino.

Millions of players head to casino hubs like Las Vegas every year to celebrate bachelor parties, birthdays, or just to have fun gambling.

If you are thinking about celebrating your 18th birthday with a trip to Vegas or Atlantic City, you should not expect to do much gambling.

Most states –including New Jersey and Nevada– require you to be at least 21 years old as the minimum age for casino gambling. Some –like Montana and Minnesota– allow you to gamble when you are 18.

Online Gambling

Online gambling is still a controversial subject for many states. Most have welcomed online sportsbooks and mobile sports betting, but online casinos are legal in just seven states.

In these states, you will have multiple options to play online slots and table games legally. Live casino games and online poker are also usually available, but some have stricter rules for these types of games.

While states have stricter laws about online gambling than traditional gambling, most apply the same minimum gambling age to online casinos as they do for in-person. For example, if your state has a minimum casino age of 21, it will be the same for online casinos and sports betting sites.

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Legality of Playing Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) has emerged as a popular form of online gaming, allowing participants to draft virtual teams made up of real-life athletes and compete for cash prizes based on their players’ performances in actual games.

The legality of DFS varies significantly across jurisdictions, primarily due to the differing interpretations of gambling laws.

Sports Betting

The US Supreme Court repealed the federal ban on sports betting in May 2018. Since then, the US sports betting industry has exploded.

You can now bet on the NFL, NBA, and literally hundreds of other sports leagues in nearly 40 states. The vast majority of these states also have online sports betting.

Most legal sports betting states have also opted for a minimum age for gambling of 21 for sportsbooks. Kentucky, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Washington D.C. are the only places in the US where you can participate in sports gambling if you are 18 years old or older. 

Poker and Card Games

While slots and sports betting are probably more popular today, it’s hard to think of more iconic casino games than poker and blackjack.

These games and other popular table games are available at legal casinos all around the US. However, some states limit them to tribal casinos.

The minimum gambling age also can vary depending on whether the casino is tribal or not. Typically, though, most states apply their standard gambling age to poker and card games. A handful of states with a gambling age of 21 allow for 18-year-olds to play card games legally.

Bingo and Lotteries

States have only just started legalizing sports betting and online gambling. Bingo games and lotteries are on the other extreme.

Playing bingo and the lotto has been legal in the vast majority of states for 30+ years. Millions of players play these classic games every year. They also play a big part in raising money for charities and state agencies.

You can probably guess by the fact that they have been legal for so long that most states view these kinds of games as safer to play than other types of gambling. This is borne out in the minimum gambling age laws.

Most states have lower ages (usually 18) for bingo and lotteries than they do for casinos and sports betting.

Underage Gambling Laws

If you have gotten this far, you now know that legal gambling ages vary from state to state and that different types of gambling may have different minimum ages.

This is why it’s always important to check your state’s gambling laws before betting. If you don’t and are caught gambling underage, you could get in big trouble with state law enforcement.

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Legal Consequences of Underage Gambling

Each state punishes underage gambling differently. Wherever you are, though, underage gambling can have severe consequences for the gambler and their parents.

The gambler could be fined, be put on probation, have to do community service, or be jailed. It could affect other aspects of their lives, too, as some states will suspend underage gamblers’ driver’s licenses.

If an underage gambler is a minor, the parents could also be fined. Some parents may even face jail time or lose custody if they somehow enabled the underage gambling or if the gambling was the result of severe neglect.

Responsible Gambling Practices

If you are worried about a child or young person you know getting involved in gambling, the best thing you can do is to encourage them not to gamble and practice responsible gambling yourself.

Casino.Org has its own Responsible Gambling Policy to help keep users safe.

Never gamble more than you are willing to lose, and always remember that gambling should be for fun – never for profit. When it’s not fun, you should stop and potentially seek help.

There are also tools available for parents, such as Net Nanny, that you can use to block online gambling sites from vulnerable individuals devices.

Regulatory Bodies and Their Role

Regulating the gambling industry in the US is very complicated. Each state has its own casino, lottery, and sports betting laws.

On top of those state-specific regulations, the federal government is also involved with its own gambling laws, regulations, and gambling taxes.

Federal Regulations

As we’ll cover next, state governments are concerned with the nitty gritty details of gambling. The federal government, on the other hand, is mostly concerned with financial rules and criminal enterprises.

The feds want to make sure that casinos and sportsbooks are not being used for organized crime. Under-the-table sportsbooks have been used as a source of income for gangs for almost as long as organized crime has been around. More recently, online gambling has been a huge industry for money laundering.

Federal regulators are also concerned with taxes. All US citizens must pay a 24% income tax on gambling winnings to the IRS.

State Regulations

Like the federal government, state regulators are concerned about limiting crime and making sure winners pay their taxes. However, states are much more involved in day-to-day regulation than the federal government.

States decide which forms of gambling are legal, the minimum age for each type of gambling, how online casinos and sportsbooks get gambling licenses, and who gets those licenses. Once an institution receives a license, the state makes sure it is following its laws.

Law enforcement and gambling regulators also make sure that unlicensed operators stay out of their states. This has become a huge deal recently. Many attorneys general have issued cease and desist letters to offshore online casinos demanding that they leave their jurisdictions.

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International Comparisons of Minimum Gambling Age

As we mentioned, most other countries do things a bit differently than the US. To start, most nations have one uniform minimum age for all forms of gambling. Additionally, that age is almost always 18.

Malta, Greece, and Ukraine are among just a handful of European countries with a minimum gambling age of 21. India–the most populated country in the world–also has a legal gambling age of 21.

The United Kingdom is another strange exception. Its gambling laws are a bit like the US’s, with different forms of gambling having different minimum ages. Some types of gambling, such as football pools, are legal when you are just 16.

Implications of Underage Gambling

If you look at any state’s gambling laws, you will see that underage gambling is one of the biggest concerns for state regulators.

Most regulations are about how to keep young people from playing before they reach the legal gambling age. Here are some of the reasons states take underage gambling so seriously.

Public Health Concerns

The number one concern with underage gambling is battling gambling addictions. Studies have shown that children who gamble even just casually before turning 18 are more likely to become gambling addicts as adults.

The evidence also shows that youths who develop problem gambling habits are more likely to develop other harmful addictions, such as addictions to illegal drugs or alcohol.

These addictions themselves put a huge toll on public health and can be disastrous for the person who is addicted. Among all addictions, gambling addiction sufferers have the highest suicide rate.

Economic Impact

Fighting the addictions that underage gambling causes costs a lot of money, as do the addictions themselves.

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) estimates that the national social cost of problem gambling is $14 billion per year. This figure includes healthcare costs related to treating problem gambling, gambling-related criminal justice efforts, job loss, bankruptcy, and other consequences of problem gambling.

Underage gambling is one of the root causes of problem gambling. Addressing it will help limit the economic impacts of problem gambling and, of course, help the gamblers and their families.

Social Consequences

The public health and economic impacts of problem gambling can be abstract, so it’s important to remember the individual impacts of underage gambling. That’s exactly what we mean by social consequences.

Underage gambling can lead to problem gambling, which often leads to lost jobs, bankruptcies, or worse, deaths. Problem gambling can destroy families, so governments do whatever it takes to stop people from developing bad habits. Stopping people from gambling underage is one of those things governments do to stop it.

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Gambling Age FAQ

1. In what state can you gamble at 18?

You can gamble at 18 in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, and Washington. These states consider 18 the legal age for playing casino games.

2. Can an 18 year old play in a casino?

Whether an 18-year-old can play in a casino depends on the state in which the casino is located. Most states that have legalized casino gambling set the minimum age at 21. However, some states allow individuals as young as 18 to gamble in specific casinos.

  1. States Allowing 18-Year-Olds to Gamble:
  • California: 18/21 (varies by casino)
  • Georgia: 18
  • Idaho: 18
  • Michigan: 18/21 (varies by casino)
  • Minnesota: 18
  • Montana: 18
  • Oklahoma: 18
  • South Dakota: 18
  • Washington: 18
  1. States Requiring Minimum Age of 21: Most states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, require players to be 21 years old.
  2. Tribal Casinos: In tribal casinos (those on tribal land) the minimum age is generally 18, but this can vary based on tribal gambling regulations.

In summary, an 18-year-old can gamble in certain states and specific casinos, but in most states, the minimum age is 21. It’s essential to check the local laws and regulations in the specific state or casino.

3. I gamble at 18 in Vegas?

No, you cannot gamble at 18 in Las Vegas. The legal minimum age for gambling in Las Vegas, as well as the rest of Nevada, is 21 years old.

4. Do you have to be 18 or 21 to gamble in California?

In California, the legal gambling age is 18. However, most casinos have minimum age requirements of 21 to enter because of alcohol sales.

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