Legal Gambling Age In America
There are legal ways in which players in the United States are able to gamble online without having to worry about breaking online gambling laws. However, there is one facet of the law that is not flexible across the country in all phases of online gambling. That would be the legal gambling age for players.
The states also have differing legal gambling ages, with some states requiring the same minimum age for all types of gambling, while for others, it depends on the activity. For example, in New Jersey, an 18-year-old can buy a lottery ticket or bet on a horse race, but cannot enter a casino until age 21.
- Where the legal age in Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec is 18 and the rest of the country imposes a legal drinking age of 19. Gambling Ages for Europe. Most European nations have a uniform legal gambling age. Yet, there can be slight variations country to country. In terms of betting many countries set the legal gambling age at 18 years old.
- Sports Betting Ages By State. Each of the states with sports betting is different, but the legal sports betting age by state is almost always 21, while the legal lottery and pari-mutuel betting age is usually 18 (except for Alabama, where all gambling ages are 19 for some reason).
- Gambling in the US is not restricted to just Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Most places allow gambling in casinos and the ages range from 18 to 21 years old, depending on the state. The US also has some states where particular forms of gambling are legal but others are not. Here are some specific examples of gambling in the US.
Unlike some of the big laws out there in the U.S. for gambling and online gambling, legal gambling ages are decided at the state level. As a result, different states will have different ages to gamble. This can even go so far as to say that players need to be a certain age to bet sports, and another age to walk into an online casino.
The most important thing to know about legal gambling ages in the U.S. is that they vary. We have all of the online gambling ages for U.S. residents here on this site, for which you can use as a resource when gambling with online casinos, poker rooms or sites that take bets on sports.
State Gambling Age Chart
| Alabama - 21 | Alaska - 18 | Arizona - 21 | Arkansas - 21 | California - 21 |
| Colorado - 21 | Connecticut - 21 | Delaware - 21 | Florida - 21 | Georgia - 21 |
| Hawaii - 21 | Idaho - 18 | Illinois - 21 | Indiana - 21 | Iowa - 21 |
| Kansas - 18 | Kentucky - 21 | Louisiana - 21 | Maine - 18 | Maryland - 21 |
| Massachusetts - 21 | Michigan - 21 | Minnesota - 18 | Mississippi - 21 | Missouri - 21 |
| Montana - 21 | Nebraska - 21 | Nevada - 21 | New Hampshire - 21 | New Jersey - 21 |
| New Mexico - 21 | New York - 18 | North Carolina - 18 | North Dakota - 21 | Ohio - 21 |
| Oklahoma - 18 | Oregon - 21 | Pennsylvania - 21 | Rhode Island - 18 | South Carolina - 18 |
| South Dakota - 21 | Tennessee - 21 | Texas - 21 | Utah - 21 | Vermont - 18 |
| Virginia - 21 | Washington - 18 | West Virginia - 21 | Wisconsin - 21 | Wyoming - 18 |
Penalty For Not Being Old Enough To Gamble Online
Those who are found to be violating the gambling age laws at the site or in their state will be subject to penalties under the laws. This can include the loss of all previous and prospective wager in an account, as well as fines, and other possible sanctions. Jail time is highly unlikely in a case like that. In fact, rarely do online gamblers go to jail for placing underage bets, but it could potentially happen depending on the individual case.
Providing that you follow the guidelines by your state and the online gambling site, there will be no problems that a USA player will run into as far as the legality of gambling online at a website which allows players from the U.S.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play Casino Games For Money?
Online casinos will have an age requirement that players must adhere to legally play at the site for real cash. This isn't just the age needed to be able to place the bet, this will be the age that a player must meet in order to create an account. For players in the United States, this can sometimes be taken one step further. In the case of gambling age in the U.S., it is decided by the states, and it's not the same in all 50. As a result, a player might be of age to play at an online casino, but not of age to be playing any game of chance for real money within their state. In most instances, this means that the player will still need to be of age to gamble in their state, despite the fact that the offshore site requires the player to be a lower age.
Most online casinos that take U.S. players require an account holder to be at least 18 years old. For those living in states with the gambling age of 21, it's important to know whether the site still allows for it, or if players must meet their state's age.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play Casino Games For Free?
In order to be able to play casino games for free, you simply need to meet the age requirement to create an account at whatever casino you'd like to sample. In most cases, this age is just 18 years old.
This age differs from the normal gambling age because casinos that accept USA players typically default to the higher age between the legal gambling age in your state, or the age to join their site. But, since you will not be risking or gambling real funds, you don't need to meet the gambling age requirement, just the age requirement established by the casino you're planning to try.
Where To Gamble Online
Another issue at hand will be the legal gambling age to place a wager on the site for which you are wanting to. This could be a sportsbook, an online casino, or a legal poker site. No matter what type of an online gambling website you are visiting, it will have the minimum age a player must be in order to sign up and place legal wagers.
There is a catch here though. That is that just because a player might meet the age requirements that have been stipulated by the online gambling site itself, it does not necessarily mean that they are free to legally gamble online.
Why is this? Simply because the gambling age in a player's state might have a higher number. For example, if a player signs up at a sportsbook at age 19, where the legal betting age is 18 at the sportsbook but the state in which he/she lives in is 21, he/she can still not gamble legally because he/she cannot do so in his/her state.
Legal Age For Gambling In America
Underage Gambling Disclaimer... Not Just Because We Had To
We take underage gambling, whether it be online or in-person, very seriously and we strongly discourage it. If you are thinking about grabbing mom or dad's credit card, DON'T DO IT! You'll be exposed and while you aren't going to go to jail, your parents are going to be pissed.
Legal Gambling Age In Canada
If by some chance you do make a deposit and don't get in trouble, know that you're never going to be able to cash that money out until you provide indentification and proof of age which would then sink your ship. You're better off waiting until you are at least 18 years old to gamble online, or anywhere else, than jumping in before your time.