While gambling has been restricted in the United States for many years, its popularity is undoubtedly increasing. Not only are gambling laws important for real money online casinos and sports betting sites, they’re equally important for the average person who wants to know if they can legally participate in gambling online.
In addition to the legality of gambling in the USA, many people also want to know about the gambling legal age in the United States. In the following guide, we’re going to answer these questions and more.
Gambling was quite a common practice in the colonies and early years of American history. The extent of gambling back then differed from one region to the next, with some locales taking to it more than others. However, there was certainly no large-scale prohibition of it. If a state wanted to participate, they would propose it, and if they didn’t, that was fine as well. One of the most popular types of gambling back then was state lotteries.
Additionally, the proceeds on the lotteries helped the public infrastructure, especially when it came to extending the school system. The British, however, sought to restrict these lotteries, and ultimately America did achieve independence from British rule. Some years after the revolution saw gambling continue in the United States and prosper in the 18th century.
However, another rise to district gambling came about in the mid-18th century, and this ultimately led to the riverboat gambling scene on the Mississippi. The goal of this online gambling scene was basically to provide entertainment over the water and flee the growing opposition on the land.
Fast forward to the 20th century; gambling became widely prohibited throughout the country. And considering the fact that gambling was now illegal, organized crime elements sought to capitalize on this. However, the state of Nevada fell on hard economic times in the early 1930s and hence a decision was made to legalize gambling in Nevada. Southern Maryland followed suit and legalized slot machines during the 1950s and 60s, and in 1977, Atlantic City opened its doors to the public. Of course, in 1977 the concept of online gambling was a thing of the future, but in more modern times, online gambling explained the exponential growth of New Jersey’s gambling scene as a whole.
Thereafter, several states followed suit and started offering lotteries, while native Indian casinos greatly expanded the land-based gambling scene. Land-based gambling continues to grow even now in the 21st century and has spilled over into the online gambling scene, with online gambling in New Jersey being the forerunner. However, many states seem to be relaxing their laws and allowing some form of online gambling and the good news is that several more are in the process of debating it.
Although gambling is legal in some form or way across most of the United States, gambling laws still regulate or restrict different types of gambling at the local level. Whether you intend to gamble in Illinois or any other US state, it’s important that you find out the specific gambling laws relating to your state prior to participating in any gambling activity. Legislation varies around charitable events, land-based casinos, sports betting, bingo, keno, and skill games, depending on where you’re located. As it stands, 49 states in the USA have legal gambling in some capacity except for Utah.
The good news is that the United States is taking a more liberal stance when it comes to all forms of online gambling, and debates and proposals are underway. However, state-by-state gambling laws determine what’s legal in your state and what’s considered illegal. So what constitutes legal gambling in Colorado may be completely an illegal form of gambling in West Virginia and so forth. So it pays to know more about these things so that you can avoid some unpleasant fines and penalties imposed on you by your state.
Additionally, the gambling legal age in your state must be taken into consideration as this varies from one state to another. While some states allow you to gamble at the age of 18, other states may have a gambling legal age of 21. So always check the laws surrounding the age requirement.
As we mentioned earlier, gambling laws vary from state to state, so what may be legal in one state may be considered illegal in another. We’ve summarized the state by state gambling laws for you and as you’ll see, online sports betting is far more readily accepted than online casinos in the US. So now let’s take a look at what forms of gambling are actually legal in each state:
There are many states in the US that have either already legalized some form of gambling or have plans underway. Some of the states that have made it legal to bet on sports include gambling sites in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. New York is still in the process of getting there, but as laws continue to change, we are optimistic that it is only a matter of time before various forms of online gambling are legal. Likewise, we expect to see more leniency with regard to sports betting online in Florida, Louisiana, and Colorado in the near future. For casino fans, online gambling Indiana, California, Iowa, and Michigan now all have the green light, and we are hopeful more US states will follow suit.
As we’ve discussed in this guide, gambling laws are regulated on a state-by-state basis. While some states have taken a more liberal stance on various forms of online gambling as well as the gambling legal age, many states still have lots of restrictions and prohibitions on legal gambling. In addition, each state decides on the level of gambling taxes on winnings you must pay. There’s a lot to take on board, but our experts at Betastic.com are continuously updating our resources, so feel free to check back with us often to learn more about legislative changes.
Is gambling online legal for your age? The state itself determines the gambling legal age of each state. So the legal age for gambling in Tennessee, for example, might well differ from that of another state. Always ensure that you do your research before embarking on any online gambling adventure to avoid any repercussions. For a more detailed list of the gambling legal age in your state, feel free to peruse our in-depth guides.
The sports betting legal age in your state will depend on the laws surrounding online gambling in your region. So gambling in Iowa may have different age rules to gambling in Alabama for instance. Irrespective of whether you want to know the gambling legal age for online casinos or bookmakers, you will need to do your research before signing up with any operator. If you want to keep things above board, we have many handy resources to help you get the answers you are looking for.
The online casinos legal age to gamble in your state is not a standard across the board. So this means that whilst certain forms of gambling in Michigan are allowed at 18 years, others are not. The same goes where the specific age in one state does not mean that this same rule or law applies in another state in the US. We always suggest that you do your due diligence in finding out the necessary information before trying to gamble online. However, when in doubt, check back with our experts at Betastic.com to find out more about the gambling legal age in your state.
There are many procedures in place to vet each and every online gambler. One of the criteria involves providing information and supporting documents to verify your age. So while you may think that you can get around this, it is easier said than done. The entire process is put in place to protect underage gamblers, and this is why each state has a gambling legal age requirement. Whether it’s online gambling in Virginia, or any other US state, we’ve got all of the information here at Betastic. Please feel free to peruse our helpful guides here.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.
