How old do I have to be to play at online casinos?

Gambling at casinos is a fun adventure for people throughout the world. There are great games to play that everyone who walks in or logs on wants a piece of the action. Playing games in casinos is for adults only. There are different rules set up for live casinos than there are for online casinos. Live casinos are the places where people actually visit and play, such as Las Vegas or Reno. Online casinos can be enjoyed at home, from the couch or in the office. People earn a lot of money playing online casino games. They are also a great place to learn to play the games, so people don’t have to feel pressure to learn in a live casino. Even watching the action at an online casino is a great way to learn to play. There are often instructions that accompany each online casino game to make it easier to learn. The online experience of a casino is only available to adults. It also changes depending on what country the player lives in and from where they play.

Each country has different laws set up to stop underage gambling. For most live casinos the age is set at 18 years old. However, every casino and every country has different laws, so check with the casino before entering and playing in person. For online casinos, the laws are stated very clearly for each country. Some countries don’t allow online gambling at all. Others allow it completely. There are some middle ground countries that will allow online gambling, but it is disguised in a way that players buy tokens from the casino to play the game. They can then cash out the tokens after they are finished playing. The remainder of this article discusses the rules for online gambling for different ages of people in different countries and the reasons why these rules are in place.

Online Gambling in the United States

The chart bellow will help explain the gambling rules to anyone living in the United States. Each online casino may have their own rules for age requirements that are different than the state rules. However, the state rules are important. Even if the online casino says that people 18 years or older may play, the state rules are what counts most. In general, every person in the United States from 18 to 21 years old or older may enjoy the use of online casinos and online gambling.

Check with the chart below to see what age requirement your state has. If you are unsure of what age requirement counts for you or your associates, consult with an attorney. This is not legal advice.

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

Online Gambling Outside the United States

Every country is different, so consulting with an attorney is the best way to understand what laws exist for online gambling outside of the United States. Laws change frequently for every country, so consulting with an attorney is the safest way to be sure that you are not breaking any laws. In general, most countries are like the United States. They allow gambling for individuals who are 18 to 21 years of age or older. However, every country is different and makes up their own rules. There are even some countries that do not allow online gambling at all. This is to keep the money within the country and sometimes because it is seen as against the overall societal values or religious values. Check with an attorney before playing if you’re outside of the United States.

Reasons for Age Restrictions and Punishments for Breaking Laws

The laws for online gambling are in place to protect underage people from spending their money and forming gambling addictions. Underage people have an easier time forming new habits. Since playing online casino games and gambling can become a habit of any individual, it is possible for underage people or children to form gambling habits easily. Many religions do not allow gambling. However, this is not the main reason that underage gambling and online casino use can become a major problem if left unattended. Most of society outside of religious sects also sees underage use of online or live casinos as a possible problem because underage people must first learn a base of responsibility before playing with their money. It is one thing for children and underage people to learn the games played at casinos, but it is another thing entirely for them to use their own money or the money of another person in the casino games.

Allowing underage people to use online casinos or live casinos on their own volition is illegal. Allowing them to use it under your name could cause major problems for you, also. Contributing to the actions of an underage person in the pursuit of gambling is highly illegal and could result in fines or imprisonment. It will most definitely result in account suspension. Casinos and online casinos reserve the right to report any and all individuals that attend to underage gambling and casino use to authorities in the proper jurisdictions. This is not a laughing matter. It is a serious crime, and it can be punishable by jail time.

What To Do If You Know About Underage Gambling

Please enjoy the use of the online casinos, their games, the forums and everything available to you. Please contact the casino with any questions regarding underage gambling or casino use. If you have information about an infraction, please provide as many details as possible to the casino, such as user name, email address, time of play, games played and anything else that can help stop the underage use at this casino and underage gambling.

This information is not to be used for legal purposes. Please consult with an attorney for legal matters. Thank you for taking time to educate yourself on this subject matter. Enjoy your time here, and play responsibly!