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What should be your Age for Gamble? Overview of Legal Gambling Age across the World

27/07/2021 | Categories: Blog | Published by: Chandan Kumar

As we are now living in the 21st century, the gambling age as a concept does not exist in specific countries at all, as gambling in some countries requires no minimal age while in others, gambling is still illegal. Also, legal gambling age varies, depending on a country or a (country’s) jurisdiction, with different age limits for different types of gambling. To be precise, the legal gambling age is the legally authorized structure in which one can gamble.

In this blog, we are going to disclose the prevailing legal gambling age for casino players around the globe.

What should be your Age to Visit a Casino?

Usually, the legal gambling age depends on the laws of the city/province/state/region/country under which the casino operates.  In addition, other laws may apply to entities like cruise ships, international waters, etc. However, common legal gambling ages across the world are 18 and 21. There is no universal answer in terms of an official legal gambling age to play legally on any best online casino sites UK. Each state regulates its own minimum age for gambling, commonly 18 in some casinos, and 21 in others.

Generally, cities stick to the laws and regulations of their country, without exception. For example, the gambling age in Las Vegas the most popular city to gamble will be regulated independently of its country, gambling age in Vegas is 21, as the city is located in Nevada.

What should be your Age for Online Gambling?

Even in the 21st century, gambling in some countries is strictly prohibited, while some countries brace and inspire gambling, both land-based and online, others are very harsh with the type of regulations they introduce.

If you are thinking about commencing on a gambling journey, what you need to know about gambling age is:

  • Gambling altogether are strictly prohibited in some countries, so the gambling age does not exist

In countries that permit gambling:

  • Legislation differs depending on a country
  • A gambling category may condition the legal age
  • Online gambling and Land-based gambling may have different limitations

Legal Gambling Age in North America

Gambling Laws and regulations vary from country to country. Likewise, in North America, each state/province backing rules specific for them only. This is why the legal gambling age in the USA differs from state to state. If you are thinking of gambling in the USA, make sure you check how old are you, that is – that country’s age limit for casinos.

Legal Gambling Age by State in the USA

  1. (AL) Alabama – 19
  2. (AK) Alaska – 21
  3. (AZ) Arizona – 21
  4. (AR) Arkansas – 21
  5. (CA) California – 18
  6. (CO) Colorado – 21
  7. (CT) Connecticut – 21
  8. (DE) Delaware – 21
  9. (D.C.) District of Columbia – 18
  10. (FL) Florida – 18
  11. (GA) Georgia – 18
  12. (HI) Hawaii – 21
  13. (ID) Idaho – 18
  14. (IL) Illinois – 21
  15. (IN) Indiana – 21
  16. (IA) Iowa – 21
  17. (KS) Kansas – 21
  18. (KY) Kentucky – 18
  19. (LA) Louisiana – 21
  20. (ME) Maine – 21
  21. (MD) Maryland – 21
  22. (MA) Massachusetts – 21
  23. (MI) Michigan – 18
  24. (MN) Minnesota – 18
  25. (MS) Mississippi – 21
  26. (MO) Missouri – 21
  27. (MT) Montana – 18
  28. (NE) Nebraska – 21
  29. (NV) Nevada – 21
  30. (NH) New Hampshire – 21
  31. (NJ) New Jersey – 21
  32. (NM) New Mexico – 21
  33. (NY) New York – 18
  34. (NC) North Carolina – 21
  35. (ND) North Dakota – 21
  36. (OH) Ohio – 21
  37. (OK) Oklahoma – 18
  38. (OR) Oregon – 21
  39. (PA) Pennsylvania – 21
  40. (RI) Rhode Island – 21
  41. (SC) South Carolina – 21
  42. (SD) South Dakota – 21
  43. (TN) Tennessee – 18
  44. (TX) Texas – 21
  45. (UT) Utah – 21
  46. (VT) Vermont – 21
  47. (VI) Virgin Islands – 21
  48. (VA) Virginia – 21
  49. (WA) Washington – 18
  50. (WVA) West Virginia – 21
  51. (WI) Wisconsin – 21
  52. (WY) Wyoming – 21

Legal Gambling Age by Province and Territory in Canada

The legal gambling age in Canada is straightforward, which means you need to be 19 or older if you are looking to gamble at a casino in Canada. This rule regulates all provinces except for Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec where the official legal age to gamble is 18.

Legal Gambling Age by Country in Europe

Gambling laws and regulations differs from one countries to other countries in Europe, as well as rule on what should your minimum age to go into a new casino. Here is the list of European countries and their gambling age:

  1. Abkhazia – 18
  2. Albania – 18
  3. Andorra – No specifics concerning legal gambling age
  4. Austria – 18
  5. Belarus – 18
  6. Belgium – 21
  7. Bosnia and Herzegovina – No specifics concerning legal gambling age
  8. Bulgaria – 18
  9. Croatia – 18
  10. Czech Republic – 18
  11. Denmark – 18
  12. Estonia – 21
  13. Faroe Islands – 18
  14. Finland – 18
  15. France – 18
  16. Germany – 18
  17. Gibraltar – 18
  18. Greece – 21
  19. Guernsey – 18
  20. Hungary – 18
  21. Iceland – 18
  22. Republic of Ireland – 18
  23. Isle of Man – 18
  24. Italy – 18
  25. Jersey – 21
  26. Latvia – 18
  27. Liechtenstein – 18
  28. Lithuania – 18
  29. Luxembourg – 18
  30. Malta – 18
  31. Moldova – 18
  32. Monaco – 18
  33. Montenegro – 18
  34. Netherlands – 18
  35. North Macedonia – 18
  36. Norway – 18
  37. Poland – 18
  38. Portugal -18*
  39. Romania – 18
  40. San Marino – 18
  41. Serbia – 18
  42. Slovakia – 18
  43. Slovenia – 18
  44. Spain – 18
  45. Sweden – 20
  46. Switzerland – 18
  47. Turkey – 18
  48. Ukraine – 18
  49. United Kingdom – 18
  50. Vatican City – Gambling regulations/gambling age is not legally defined

Legal Gambling Age in Asia

Earth’s biggest and most populous continent, Asia comprises an abundance of different countries with individual regulations concerning many aspects, gambling age being one of them. Here’s the gambling age of some Asian countries:

  1. Afghanistan – online gambling is legal at any age while casinos and lotteries are forbidden
  2. China – Illegal which is why people often go to Macau and Hong Kong to gamble
  3. Cyprus – 18
  4. India – 21
  5. Indonesia – Illegal; people often go to Japan to gamble
  6. Israel – 18
  7. Japan – 20
  8. Macau – 21
  9. Malaysia – 21
  10. Pakistan – Illega­l
  11. Philippines – 21
  12. Qatar – Illegal
  13. Russia – 18
  14. Saudi Arabia – Illega­l
  15. Singapore – 21
  16. South Korea – 19
  17. Thailand – Illegal

If you are planning to Asia and the country you are visiting is not on this list, check that country’s gambling laws and regulations before actually gambling there.

Legal Gambling Age in South America

Similarly to other continents, South America has its own gambling age restrictions that need to be respected:

  1. Argentina – 18
  2. Aruba – 18
  3. Bolivia – 18
  4. Brazil – 18
  5. Chile – 18
  6. Colombia – 18
  7. Curacao – 18
  8. Ecuador – 18
  9. Falkland Islands – 18
  10. French Guiana – 18
  11. Guyana – 18
  12. Paraguay – 18
  13. Peru – 18
  14. Suriname – 18
  15. Trinidad and Tobago – 18
  16. Uruguay – 18
  17. Venezuela – 18

Legal Gambling Age in Oceania

Legal gambling age for the two most known countries of Oceania?

  1. Australia – 18
  2. New Zealand – 20

Legal gambling Age in Africa

In this part of the world, each country is somewhere deeply rooted in its own norms and customs which results in variations among gambling laws and rules from one country to another.

Here is the list of few countries with their gambling age law:

  1. Angola – 18
  2. Egypt – 21
  3. Ethiopia – Illegal
  4. Libya – Illegal
  5. Morocco – 18
  6. Nigeria – 20
  7. Seychelles – 18
  8. South Africa – 18
  9. Tunisia – Legal at any age
  10. Tanzania – 18

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you have to be a Minimum of 18 to gamble?

We know that human nature across the globe is the same, so generally when a person comes at an age of 18 accepted as an adult or mature enough to be held accountable for their actions and therefore, can participate in gambling activities?

What is the Legal Gambling Age on Cruise Ships?

The majority of cruise ships like Costa, Norwegian Cruise Line, Cunard, and Royal Caribbean International allow guests to gamble who are 18 while sailing through international waters.

Princess Cruises is one exception to this, which permits guests having 21 years of age or older to gamble.

In which States of USA Gambling Age is 18?

There are numbers of states with a legal gambling age limit set to 18 are California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Washington. While other states have their legal gambling age limit set to 21.

In which Part of World Gambling is Illegal?

Although gambling is a highly profitable industry. Furthermore, gambling in excess can leads to a gambling problem which is why many countries across the world have outlawed gambling and introduce strict punishment for those who break them such as United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Qatar, Lebanon, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Thailand.