How Old Do You Have To Be To Gamble in the US?

In the United States, some states set the legal gambling age at 18, others require players to be 21 or older.

US Legal Gambling Age by State

State	Casinos	Sports Betting	Poker	Bingo	Lottery	Horse/Dog Racing
Alabama	21	–	–	19	19	–
Alaska	18	–	–	–	–	–
Arizona	21	21	21	18	21	18
Arkansas	21	21	21	18	18	18
California	18/21	18/21	18/21	18	18	18
Colorado	21	21	18	18	18	18
Connecticut	21	–	21	18	18	18
Delaware	21	21	18	18	18	18
Florida	18	18	18	18	18	18
Georgia	–	–	–	–	–	–
Hawaii	–	–	–	–	–	–
Idaho	18/21	–	18/21	18	18	18
Illinois	21	21	21	18	18	18
Indiana	21	21	21	18	18	18
Iowa	21	21	21	18	21	18
Kansas	21	–	21	18	18	18
Kentucky	–	–	–	–	18	18
Louisiana	21	21	21	18	21	18
Maine	21	21	18	16	18	18
Maryland	21	–	21	18	18	18
Massachusetts	21	–	21	18	18	18
Michigan	18/21	18/21	18/21	18	18	18
Minnesota	18/21	18/21	18/21	18	18	18
Mississippi	21	21	21	18	21	18
Missouri	21	–	21	18	18	18
Montana	18	18	18	18	18	18
Nebraska	21	–	–	–	19	19
Nevada	21	21	21	18	21	18
New Hampshire	21	18	18	18	18	18
New Jersey	21	21	21	18	18	18
New Mexico	21	21	18	18	18	18
New York	18/21	18/21	18/21	18	18	18
North Carolina	–	–	–	18	–	18
North Dakota	21	–	21	18	18	18
Ohio	21	–	21	18	18	18
Oklahoma	18	18	18	16	18	18
Oregon	18/21	18/21	18/21	18	18	18
Pennsylvania	21	21	18	18	18	18
Rhode Island	18	18	18	18	18	18
South Carolina	–	–	–	–	–	–
South Dakota	21	21	21	18	18	18
Tennessee	–	–	–	–	–	–
Texas	21	–	–	–	–	21
Utah	–	–	–	–	–	–
Vermont	18	–	–	–	18	18
Virginia	–	–	–	18	18	–
Washington	18/21	18/21	18/21	18	18	18
West Virginia	21	21	18	18	18	18
Wisconsin	21	–	21	18	18	18
Wyoming	18	–	–	–	18	18

“-” = not yet legal or pending launch

Please note that specific establishments may have their own age restrictions due to factors such as state regulations or alcohol policies. For example, some tribal casinos in California have a minimum age of 18, while others require players to be 21.

Is the gambling age the same for online gambling?

When it comes to online gambling certain states will have the same minimum legal gambling age as their live casino counterpart. At the same time, some states may set a different age restriction specifically for online gambling.

For instance, states like New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania have a minimum legal age of 21 for both live and online gambling. On the other hand, states like Idaho, Minnesota, and Wyoming allow individuals aged 18 and older to participate in specific types of online gambling, such as lottery games.

What states have casinos for 18 year olds?

Here’s a list of states where 18-year-olds can gamble legally in land-based casinos:

California: This state allows tribal gambling for individuals aged 18 and above, though alcohol is off-limits for anyone below 21 years old. Commercial gambling venues require gamblers to be 21 years old.
Florida: 18-year-olds can legally participate in certain gambling activities, such as poker, bingo, and horse racing. Some tribal casinos also allow 18-year-olds to gamble.
Michigan: In Michigan, some tribal casinos permit 18-year-olds to participate in gambling activities.
Minnesota: This state allows 18-year-olds to participate in a range of gambling activities, including lottery, bingo, and poker games, as well as casino gaming in some cases.

Other states that also allow 18-year-olds to gamble in select land-based casinos include Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.

Will Nevada change the legal gambling age to 18?

There has been some discussion surrounding the possibility of Nevada changing its legal gambling age from 21 to 18. A bill was proposed in the Nevada Legislature, which aimed to reduce the legal age for gambling in the state. However, the bill faced some opposition and concerns due to the potential complications it could introduce, such as the need to enforce the separate legal drinking age of 21 in establishments where gambling occurs.

So although the idea of lowering the gambling age in Nevada has been considered, the current legal gambling age in the state remains 21.