Legal Gambling Age In America

We've compiled this legal online betting guide for US players arranged by state, to provide accurate and up to date information on the legal online gambling status and gaming options available within each US state. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive state gambling directory which will empower players with the information to make informed decisions about online gambling.

This state-specific data will include a look at the state laws governing online gambling opportunities from online casinos, online poker, to online sports betting.

Legal Gambling Age In The United States. 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 problem of knowing the gambling age is further exacerbated by the fact that different forms of gambling have different a legal gambling age in each state. The truth of the matter is that most lotteries require you to be 18, while any other form of gambling, excluding perhaps poker, is limited to those who are 21 years of age or older. The types of legalized gambling offered in Canada range from commercial casino operations and racetracks to smaller bingo halls, Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), slot machines, and ticket lotteries. All legal gambling is regulated by the provinces and territories and therefore the available types of gambling differ across the country. For many Americans, the legal gambling age is similar to the legal drinking age—21 years. This limit applies to both Americans and foreigners that visit land-based casinos in the country. So, just because you can gamble at 18 years in the UK doesn’t mean you’ll be given entry in Las Vegas casinos. That said; gambling laws keep changing. 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.

Each individual state is approaching the legalization of online gambling differently, thus it is necessary to detail lawfully available state-licensed options, and sanctioned licensed offshore online gambling opportunities. We also address some of the most commonly asked questions about gambling in each state and provide some helpful resources for players to access. This information can only be covered in depth within each of the state pages we offer, which you can find listed within this guide.

Is Online Gambling Legal In My State?

To avoid confusion, we have marked US states which offer state-regulated gambling options in the table below with a check mark. At this moment in time, eight US states have legalized and regulated online gambling in some form. For example:

Online Poker & Casinos:

• Delaware - Online Poker and Online Casino gambling
• Nevada - Online Poker
• New Jersey - Online Poker, Online Casinos
• Pennsylvania - Online Poker, Online Casinos
• West Virginia - Online Poker, Online Casinos

Online Sports Betting & Fantasy Sports

• Illinois - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
• Indiana - Offers Online Sports Betting
• Iowa - Offers Online Sports Betting
• Massachusetts - Fantasy Sports Allowed
• Mississippi - Online Allowed At Casinos Only
• Montana - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
• Nevada - Online Sportsbooks State-wide
• New Jersey - Online Sportsbooks State-wide
• New York - Allows Fantasy Sports And Domestic Sports Betting
• Oregon - Offers Online Sports Betting
• Pennsylvania - Offers Online and Domestic Sports Betting
• Rhode Island - Offers Online and Domestic Sports Betting
• Tennessee - Offers Online Sports Betting Apps
• West Virginia - Online Sports Betting Allowed State-wide

** Legalized but Pending launch

Online Lottery:

• Georgia - Online Lottery Allowed
• Illinois - Online Lottery Allowed
• Kentucky - Online Lottery Allowed
• Michigan - Online Lottery Allowed
• Minnesota - Online Lottery Allowed
• New Hampshire - Online Lottery Allowed
• Pennsylvania - Online Lottery Allowed

Is Licensed Offshore Gambling Legal In My State?

While the above-mentioned states offer regulated online gambling, they still maintain the option to utilize licensed offshore online options. Nearly all US state residents, except those from Washington or Connecticut, can legally access licensed offshore online gambling platforms to play online casino games, poker, or bet on sports.

This is because no state laws in these other 48 states specifically prohibit or allow it - thus operating in a technical grey area, it is still considered safe to use because it is not likely these states will draft and pass legislation to specifically affect domestic access to licensed offshore gaming.

What Is The Minimum Online Gambling Age in the US?

There is no one minimum gambling age in the US as this is set and regulated by each individual state. The minimum gambling age within each state is affected by various factors such as game selected and licensor. By this, we mean state-regulated online gambling options require domestic players, whether residents or visitors, to abide by the state's minimum gambling age for that form of gambling on land within the state's borders.

However, licensed offshore online platforms which offer casino games, poker, and sports betting can lawfully accept players who are at least 18 years of age or older. These licensed offshore online sites also offer players much more in the way of bonuses and perks and the platforms we recommend are all extremely reputable.

U.S. States Where You Can Legally Gamble At 18 And Up

Legal Gambling Age In Ca

Below you can learn more about the minimum legal online gambling age by state in the USA.

Online Gambling Laws in The United States

Gambling laws can be a rather complex topic these days as there are several US federal gambling laws to account for such as the UIGEA, and the Federal Wire Act, as well as, several individual state gambling laws. The reason for this is because the United States DOJ has said that states have the authority to determine their own destiny concerning both land-based and online gambling.

Afterward, several states moved forward with legalizing some forms of online gambling for their region. Multiple other states are currently in discussions amongst themselves regarding the possibility of embracing this virtual gaming platform in their own territories. As discussed earlier and from what can be read from our laws page, US players outside of WA and CT are permitted access to multiple licensed, certified, and regulated online gambling sites hosted outside of the United States. This is a nice alternative for those players not located in a state with its own regulated form of domestic online gambling.

States With Pending Online Gambling Legislation

US States That Offer Domestic Sportsbooks

Legal Gambling Age In America Compared

US States With Passed Sports Betting Legislation (Pending Launch)