Online Gambling Age
Find more on the legal gambling age in the USA here along with other information about USA online gambling laws. You should be able to find the legal gambling age for all states on our website along with a list of gambling sites and venues that allow you to gamble at 18 or 21. Legal gambling ages across the US vary, with states setting the minimum age at either 18 or 21. This can however change depending on the type of gambling, as well as if you're playing in a Native.
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.
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.
Online Gambling Age Ohio
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.
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.
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.
Adhering to the legal gambling age in your state is vital, both in legal online gambling in the United States and land based gambling. Due to the nature of state's rights, each state can have its own age requirements pertaining to gambling. Due to the differences between each state, you cannot just assume that you can gamble at any certain age.
Most states have a strict gambling age requirement of 21, and all states are actively enforcing these gambling laws. Even in the case where no gambling options are available through land based gambling businesses, you will find that most states still have some form of age restriction codified in their laws. While some states have an age requirement of 18, this is rare. Only 13 states allow gamblers to begin at the age of 18, so it is unlikely that you may do so.
What Is The Legal Age To Gamble In My State?
While the age to gamble is set at the state level, it's not as if there are age ranges all over the ball park. In fact, the majority of the states have set their minimum age to gamble at 21 years old. However, there are some states where that age is set at 18.
If you happen to have questions about what the legal gambling age in your state might be, you are in luck. Listed out below, we have broken down the gambling age for each of the 50 states in the U.S. You will notice that there are a lot of stipulations for 21 years of age, but there are in fact some at only 18 years old. This will come into play the most when visiting an online gambling site with a minimum age to join / play of 18 years old.
Remember that the age in your state carries just as much weight as the age set by the online gambling site. For easy reference, just remember that the higher of the two ages must be met, if it differs between the site and the state age.
Right below, you can find your state within our list and easily locate the age required to gamble there. Users can then assume this is the age to participate in any form of online gaming that is offered by a gambling site that accepts players from their state. This is not always true but in most cases it is. Take a second to find your state before proceeding.
| Chart of Legal Gambling Ages In The U.S.A. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama - 21 | Hawaii - 21 | Massachusetts - 21 | New Mexico - 21 | South Dakota - 21 |
| Alaska - 18 | Idaho - 18 | Michigan - 21 | New York - 18 | Tennessee - 21 |
| Arizona - 21 | Illinois - 21 | Minnesota - 18 | North Carolina - 18 | Texas - 21 |
| Arkansas - 21 | Indiana - 21 | Mississippi - 21 | North Dakota - 21 | Utah - 21 |
| California - 21 | Iowa - 21 | Missouri - 21 | Ohio - 21 | Vermont - 18 |
| Colorado - 21 | Kansas - 18 | Montana - 21 | Oklahoma - 18 | Virginia - 21 |
| Connecticut - 21 | Kentucky - 21 | Nebraska - 21 | Oregon - 21 | Washington - 18 |
| Delaware - 21 | Louisiana - 21 | Nevada - 21 | Pennsylvania - 21 | West Virginia - 21 |
| Florida - 21 | Maine - 18 | New Hampshire - 21 | Rhode Island - 18 | Wisconsin - 21 |
| Georgia - 21 | Maryland - 21 | New Jersey - 21 | South Carolina - 18 | Wyoming - 18 |
When browsing the different online gambling sites that accept U.S. players, you will see that they also have their own age requirement. Some online gambling sites allow their users to play at the age of 18. If this is the case, you still have to adhere to your state gambling laws. If you live in Kansas, for instance, you can begin gambling at 18 - but only if your gambling site allows 18 year olds. Some gaming sites have a 21 year old age limit, which you also must abide by. In the event that your state and the gambling site have differing age limits, you will find that you have to adhere to the larger of these two ages.
Online Gambling Age Verification
The consequences of gambling online without adhering to the age requirements are fairly egregious. If you attempt to gamble online you open yourself up to the risk of financial loss and the possibility of a criminal infraction. If an online gambling site catches you attempting to gamble underage, your remaining money will be returned and you will be banned from their service. This means all of your winnings, and even your initial deposit, will all be a loss. Criminal charges for gambling underage are dependent on your jurisdiction, and they can range from a few fines all the way up to an arrest.
Online casinos that are legal, legitimate sports betting sites, and poker rooms that allow US players take underage gambling very seriously. It is well policed and it is likely that if you do so, you will get caught and have to suffer any and all consequences of doing so such as being denied payment of winnings. There are a lot of steps taken by the regulators of the industry, so it will be a good idea to adhere to the rules set down by both the gambling sites and of course your state gambling age.
In the end, we do not recommend trying to bypass the ages we have listed for each state. No matter what you do, you will ultimately have to submit identity verification. Each gambling site will force you to send in a copy of your ID and a utility bill in order to cash in your winnings, so you will get caught no matter what. Live gambling locations, such as brick and mortar casinos and card rooms, generally have a security force devoted to the apprehension of underage gamblers. This is where your criminal penalties become really prevalent, so keep your state's legal gambling age in mind before you decide to play - not after you get caught.
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