Us Gambling Age By State

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.

Gambling has become a $40 billion dollar a year industry in the United States. From 1974 to 1994-20 years-the amount of money Americans legally wagered has risen 2,800 percent, from $17 billion.

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 - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
  • 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

Age

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

AL Offshore Yes:18IL Offshore Yes:18NE Offshore Yes:18SD Offshore Yes:18
AK Offshore Yes:18IN Offshore Yes:18NV Offshore Yes:18SC Offshore Yes:18
AZ Offshore Yes:18KS Offshore Yes:18NH Offshore Yes:18TN Offshore Yes:18
AR Offshore Yes:18KY Offshore Yes:18NJ Offshore NoTX Offshore Yes:18
CA Offshore Yes:18LA Offshore Yes:18NM Offshore Yes:18UT Offshore Yes:18
CO Offshore Yes:18ME Offshore Yes:18NY Offshore Yes:18VT Offshore Yes:18
CT Offshore NoMD Offshore Yes:18ND Offshore Yes:18VA Offshore Yes:18
DE Offshore Yes:18MA Offshore Yes:18NC Offshore Yes:18WA Offshore No
FL Offshore Yes:18MI Offshore Yes:18OH Offshore Yes:18WV Offshore Yes:18
GA Offshore Yes:18MN Offshore Yes:18OK Offshore Yes:18WI Offshore Yes:18
HI Offshore Yes:18MS Offshore Yes:18OR Offshore Yes:18WY Offshore Yes:18
ID Offshore Yes:18MO Offshore Yes:18PA Offshore Yes:18
IA Offshore Yes:18MT Offshore Yes:18RI Offshore Yes:18

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

Gambling Age By Country

US States That Offer Domestic Sportsbooks

US States With Passed Sports Betting Legislation (Pending Launch)

Find detailed information on US casinos in every state - both land-based and online. Our experts have compiled information regarding states who legalized online casinos and details about all legal USA online casinos. We have provided knowledge on gambling specifics for each state and what types of casinos are legal in each particular state. On American Casino Guide, you will find detailed lists of every US casino resort, riverboat casino and Indian casino in the country. Just choose a state from the below list of US casinos-by-state in order to bring up detailed information on what types of casinos are available in the respective state, a list of all casinos within the state borders, and slot machine payback statistics for all US casinos.

Click here to see a list of U.S. Casinos by city

Click here to see Maps of Casino Locations in Every U.S. State






















Online gambling guide

The states who have now moved forward with legal online gambling are as follows:

Legal online casino:

  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Legal online poker:
  • Nevada
  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania

Legal Online Sportsbooks:

  • Rhode Island
  • West Virginia
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania

USA online casinos

The online casino USA market is definitely starting to grow. The domino effect is taking place, now that states are seeing the financial benefits of legal online casinos. The laws surrounding USA online casinos are specific to the state where they are licensed. Ultimately it is up to the state to decide whether or not to legalize online casinos. We have seen the biggest impact of legalizing online casinos in the state of New Jersey thus far.

In New Jersey, the online casino market is flourishing. There is a long list of legal online casinos - all of which are remaining competitive in this flourishing market. The current list of legal NJ Casinos are as follows:

  • Golden Nugget
  • Virgin Online Casino
  • Caesars Casino Online
  • Borgata Online
  • Tropicana Online
  • SugarHouse Online Casino
  • Betfair NJ
  • 888 NJ
  • Pala Online Casino
  • Harrah’s Online Casino
  • Resorts Online Casino
  • Mohegan Sun Online
  • DraftKings Casino
  • Party Casino
  • PlayMGM
  • Ocean Resort Online
  • PokerStars NJ
  • Hard Rock Online
  • BetAmerica
  • Unibet Casino

Legal online casino gambling was recently just passed through legislation in Pennsylvania, meaning online casinos are on their way in the Keystone State. The projected list of online casinos in Pennsylvania are as follows:

  • Harrah’s
  • Hollywood at Penn National
  • Mount Airy
  • Parx
  • SugarHouse
  • Valley Forge
  • Presque Isle Downs
  • Sands Bethlehem
  • Stadium Park Philly Live! Casino
  • Mohegan Sun Pocono
  • MGM Resorts
  • Golden Nugget NJ

The only other state in America with legal online casino gambling is in fact, Delaware, and just like the state’s size, the list is quite small. The legal online casinos in Delaware are as follows:

  • Delaware Park Online
  • Dover Downs
  • Harrington Online

Here at American Casino Guide, we have thorough reviews on each legal online casino in the USA. In our comprehensive online casino reviews, you will find useful information about each site and how it affects you as a player. Review briefs on the game selections offered at each site along with some of their most popular game titles. Learn about the software providers and interface design of these sites as well as their mobile apps and how efficient each application runs. See the banking options allowed at each site so that you can be sure your preferred withdrawal and deposit methods are available on your favorite online casinos. And finally, see what kinds of casino bonuses and special promotions are being offered at these casinos so that you can achieve the maximum amount of free play on your favorite casino games!

American Casino Guide - land-based establishments

There are many different kinds of casinos throughout the United States. Depending on your location in the country, there could be a mix of the following casinos:

  • Indian casinos
  • Pari-mutuel casinos
  • Land-based casinos
  • Riverboat casinos
  • Casino boats
Gambling age by country

Just choose a state from the American casino guide below, organized by state, and have a look at the detailed information of each. The information provided includes:

  • List of every casino in the state
  • Details about each casino
  • Forms of casino gambling available in that state
  • Slot machine payback statistics for all U.S. casinos

Each casino listing will explain its hours of operation, games offered, hotel rates, buffet prices, minimum gambling age, photos, maps, directions and more! You can even read and write your own review for each casino.

Indian Casinos

Indian casinos, also known as Tribal casinos, are usually located on federally recognized Indian reservations. They range in size from small truck stops and convenience stores to some of the largest casinos in the country. At a small truck stop casino, you would generally find a handful of machines and these would be located in places such as Oklahoma or Wisconsin. Connecticut is home to one of the world’s largest casinos - Foxwoods Casino.

Different states have different legal agreements regarding Indian casinos. Depending on the agreement made, these Indian casinos can offer either Class II gaming or Class III gaming.

Class III (Class 3) gaming is what most people would describe as “normal” casino gaming. This is kind of casino gambling you would find at the majority of casinos in the country, such as Las Vegas. Class III gaming involves the player playing against “the house” like in blackjack, craps, roulette, or any other table game, as well as slot machines.

Class II (Class 2) gaming, on the other hand, is slightly different. These are games where players compete against other players such as in poker and bingo. Over the years, casinos have found ways around this to offer other casino games similar to Class III games, however, adhering still to Class II rules. A great example of this would be Class II slot machines that closely resemble a normal, Class III machine but you will notice a small bingo card in the corner of the screen. So, in essence, you are actually playing a quicker version of virtual bingo against other players in the casino. The reels spin and you can see winning combinations. The reels, however, are “for entertainment purposes only” and your chances of winning are based entirely on the bingo card in the corner.

Another example of Class II games would be player-banked table games where a player would compete against other players rather than against the casino. These look identical to traditional table games. The difference lays in the fact that players have to pay an ante of around $0.50-$1 per hand. In most cases there is someone who supplies the money to be the “bank” and the only money the casino receives is the ante made by each player.

Pari-Mutuel Casinos

Some states such as Arkansas or Delaware only allow casinos in pari-mutuel facilities. Pari-mutuel refers to locations with legalized wagering on horse or dog races; or in Florida, jai-alai games. Since a vast majority of pari-mutuel facilities in the United States are racetracks, these types of casinos are often also known as “racinos,” a combination of the words racetrack and casino.

Besides having legal on-property betting on horse racing, dog racing or jai-alai, these casinos are almost identical to most other land-based casinos. However, depending on the laws of the states where they are located, some may not offer live table games, or may only have slot machines.

A somewhat new development at pari-mutuel facilities in states where traditional casino gambling is illegal is something called “historical racing machines.” These are considered Class II machines similar to the bingo-based machines at many Indian casinos but instead of being based on a bingo card, the results of these games are based on racing results from previous horse races.

Land-Based Casinos

Land-based casinos refer to the typical casinos that people often think of when they think of a casino. An example of this would a popular casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Casino gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931 and it was the only state to offer that type of gambling until 1977 when New Jersey legalized casinos for its seaside resort town of Atlantic City. It is these land-based, stand-alone, casinos that were the original forms of casinos until riverboat and Indian casinos came along in the 1990s.

Riverboat Casino Locations

Us Gambling Age By State College

Riverboat casinos are exactly what they sound like - casinos located inside riverboats. These are found in many states throughout the South and the Midwest such as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Mississippi. However, they have evolved over the years as the laws and regulations have been quite relaxed. Originally, they were required to leave the dock and cruise for several hours periodically throughout the day. In the beginning, some states even required the casinos to enact loss limits during these cruises.

Us Gambling Age By State Game

Eventually, the loss limits were lifted, as were the requirements for them to cruise periodically, and they began operations constantly docked on the river. Some states later allowed the casinos to be built on floating barges in man-made lagoons fed from the rivers. That is where most of the states are now, however some states such as Mississippi have now allowed their “riverboat” casinos to operate on land. As much as that does not make sense, the rules still require these facilities to be built within a certain distance from the water.

Us Gambling Age By State Casinos

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