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How Old Must You Be To Play Online Casino Games in the USA
How old must you be to play Online Casino Games in the USA and can you be punished for playing offline?
All across the United States, the legal gambling age varies—not by much, but it does. There are multiple sites that one could use to determine what the legal gambling age is for your specific region. The age limit also varies depending on which game you are playing.
Individuals that are 18 and over can make all types of bets in the following states:
- Idaho
- Wyoming
- Minnesota
- Iowa
An Individual that is 18 and over can make bets; however, they cannot participate in all types of betting:
- California
- Oregon
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- Florida
- Connecticut
- New York
- Delaware
Young adults who are 18 and over can make pari-mutuel bets only in these states:
- Washington
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
Pari-mutuel betting is the placing of bets in a group where the winnings are divided up between the participants.
Individuals who are 21 years of age and over can bet in 35 states, which are:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Punishment for Underage Gambling in the USA
The Casino Control Act strictly prohibits underage persons from gambling in a casino or any simulcast facility. If an individual is convicted of underage gambling, the penalty is considered a disorderly person offense, which is a criminal charge that will result in a criminal record. A conviction of underage gambling will also result in a fine of between $500 and $1000, along with the individual’s driver’s license being suspended for a period of 6 months. If the individual is under the age of 17 and does not have a driver’s license, the issuance of the license will be suspended for 6 months.
If the parent of the underage individual has knowingly allowed the individual to gamble, he or she can also be charged with a disorderly person’s offense.
Photo by Keenan Constance
