The age limit for these online casinos is the same as the land-based ones at 21 years old. Bovada – Live Dealer Casino And Game Variety Bovada is one of the most popular online casinos that there is to offer. The legal gambling age varies from one state to another. Generally speaking, you have to be at least 18 before you can spend your money at a casino. However, in some states, you have to wait until you’re 21. The most reliable way to find out what the legal age limit is in any particular state is to ask the casino personnel.

If you’ve just recently become a legal adult, you might wonder where you can go to gamble as an 18-year-old in California. With some exceptions, many legal casinos or card rooms in California will let you enter as soon as you turn 18. The same goes for any online gambling apps, although these are very limited because of California’s strict gambling legislation.

Here we will break down where you can enjoy 18+ gambling in the Golden State.

California Indian Casinos: Gambling Options For 18+

The legal gambling age is 18-years-old on all land under California jurisdiction. Because Indian casinos technically operate on reservation land, they aren’t beholden to California legislation. They can set their own legal gambling age to some extent (with some government oversight). Because of this, some Indian casinos allow anyone 18-years-old or older to enter, while others have a higher minimum of 21-years-old.

The reason for this is that some Indian casinos serve alcohol on open gambling floors or otherwise make it very easy for anyone to obtain alcohol, even while following licensing verification practices. They set their legal entrance ages to 21-years-old to prevent any instances of underage drinking on their premises.

Anyone can participate in a few rounds of bingo at the local church, but most casino bingo halls have an age limit to gamble. States that allow people age 18 and up to play bingo in a casino include.

This means it’s important to always double-check whether a tribal casino has a legal age of 18-years-old or 21-years-old before making the trip. Most tribal casinos follow the 21-year-old rule. However, there are more than 20 (out of 63) that currently allow 18-year-olds to enter.

Washington State Casino Age Limit

Northern California 18+ Casinos

Northern California casinos are usually based around Sacramento or San Francisco: the two largest metropolitan areas in the top half of the state. These resorts run from large to very small, featuring diverse themes and lots of different gambling activities that range from slot machines to lottery games to blackjack and other electronic games. Most tribal casinos are located in the southern half of the state, but there are still plenty of worthwhile ones to check out north of Fresno.

Here are some of the best Northern California 18+ casinos:

Table Mountain Casino

Just 20 miles north of Fresno, this casino is due for a big renovation over the next few years. For now, it includes several thousand gaming machines and over 40 table games. It also offers 10 poker tables for reserved or spur-of-the-moment Sit’N’Go games. The casino is currently looking into creating an adjacent hotel, but there are plenty of other accommodations nearby as well. Dining and live entertainment activities round out its offerings.

Lucky Bear Casino

A smaller tribal casino totaling 5000 ft.², Lucky Bear is one of the most northern tribal casinos in California. It’s nestled in the beautiful mountains and features dozens of slot machines and other games. It’s an ideal place to gamble and relax while touring the Northern California wilderness or road tripping up the coast.

Elk Valley Casino

This Northern California casino is open 24 hours daily. It features 23,000 ft.² of gaming space, 11 table and poker games, and over 300 distinct gaming machines. These are available alongside a single restaurant for convenient dining access.

Southern California 18+ Casinos

Southern California casinos outnumber their Northern California counterparts by a fair margin, and they’re mostly concentrated around Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Diego. They also include plenty of spas to take advantage of the typically relaxing, sunny Southern California ambiance. Additionally, many of the casinos feature entertainment venues reflecting a focus on the show business industry. These venues often utilize iconography or themes that draw from Hollywood or other iconic neighborhoods.

Here are some of the best Southern California 18+ casinos:

Morongo Casino Resort Spa

This casino is a perfect choice if you want to mix some spa time with your gambling activities. It’s very close to Palm Springs and has over 150,000 ft.² in total with nearly 3,000 slot machines. It also includes a poker room and 13 reserve poker tables for private games, plus a variety of spa and resort amenities like massages services, and pool access.

Tachi Palace Casino Resort

This famous casino is located in Lemoore just south of Central California. It’s one of the best casinos in the region, with over 2,000 slot machines, a seven-table poker room, and a 255-room hotel and spa. Several restaurants and other dining venues nearby make it a great place for general relaxation and vacationing.

Full List of 18+ California Casinos

Sweepstakes Online Casinos In California 18+

There are a few ways you can enjoy 18+ online gambling in California even though the activity is broadly illegal. One way is by using sweepstakes sites. Sweepstakes sites technically don’t have you gamble with real money. Instead, you play with digital Sweeps Coins or other types of fake currency.

Because you aren’t gambling with real money, California’s anti-gambling legislation does not ban the activity. Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots are great examples of online sweepstakes casinos.

LuckyLand Slots offers hundreds of digital slot games if those are your favorite. Chumba Casino, on the other hand, offers a broader online casino experience and provides several options for digital table games. Of course, you have to be 18-years-old or older to sign up for either website.

Sweepstakes Online Poker In California 18+

Sweepstakes poker, which also follows the sweepstakes gaming model, is another option that circumvents anti-gambling legislation in California. Global Poker is really the only option you should consider, as it’s a well-regulated and well-designed website that allows you to find poker games against human opponents any time, all over the world. It’s also legal in most US states.

Global Poker offers two classic poker games: Texas or Omaha Hold’Em. You can purchase digital currency or get free bonus Sweeps Coins just by playing regular poker games. These coins can be redeemed for cash prizes, which adds a little bit of excitement to every game.

Traffic is fairly consistent, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get a game even if you want to play during the middle of the week when most people (in your location) are at work. There are some daily and weekly tournaments offered as well, although the Sit’N’Go format of poker is by far the most common type.

Be aware that poker tables can vary dramatically. Skill level matches are hit or miss, so you might sit down with one game and dominate the competition, only to find yourself drastically outmatched during the next.

See our full Review of Global Poker in California.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) In California 18+

Daily fantasy sports in California is still a gray legal area. In short, daily fantasy sports is neither legal nor illegal because there isn’t any California legislation outright stating either position. Big daily fantasy sports operators like DraftKings and FanDuel have so far managed to continue providing DFS without challenge.

Currently, anti-gambling legislation in California only bans players from wagering real money on games of chance. However, DFS operators claim that fantasy sports is a skill-based wagering activity.

Until California legislation rules one way or the other, both DraftKings and FanDuel are excellent online DFS apps that anyone 18-years-old or older can enjoy.

Signing up for either app is pretty easy, and both providers offer intuitive user interfaces that look remarkably alike when you see them side by side. Both also provide opening bonuses, although DraftKings’ is much better, with a $500 deposit match guarantee and some free site credit.

You’ll also be able to enjoy tons of sports lineups and activities, ranging from major leagues like the NFL or NBA to women’s leagues or international soccer. The apps even have some options for eSports.

Washington Casino Age Limit

California 18+ Gambling FAQ

If you’ve recently turned 18-years-old, be sure to have an up-to-date version of your driver’s license or government-issued ID.

Yes. However, in California, the only online gambling apps that are legal are for daily fantasy sports and horse racing. These apps will ask for your date of birth and your Social Security number to verify your information before allowing you to make an account.

No. Sports betting currently isn’t legal anywhere in the state. However, tribal organizations may bring this to their brick-and-mortar casinos in the near future.

Not likely. The law is there to prevent underage drinkers from gaining access alcohol, not necessarily to stop them from gambling.

There are slightly more in Southern California. In general, you’ll find more casinos or card rooms around big cities anywhere in the state.

Legal Gambling Ages By State

Each state in the United States of America has the right to make its own laws respecting USA online gambling, so long as they don’t supersede or contravene federal government law on the same subject. For this reason, many states have different gambling ages for various types of activity or even the same types of activity. For some states, they offer a legal gambling age of either 18 or 21 depending on which location you are playing. For example, in New York bettors can play casinos at 18 in the tribal casinos but must be 21 in the commercial casinos.

* Only when on Casino Ship

States Where You Can Gamble At 18

Depending on the type of event, as seen in the chart above, you can gamble in many jurisdictions at the age of 18. For example, in Wyoming, you can play bingo, or bet on sports, simply by being 18. Jurisdictions are fairly simple – if you’re in a state, you’re subject to the laws of that state – but are important to keep in mind to make sure you are following the laws of whatever state you are in. Make sure you check both state and federal laws before engaging in these behaviors – the last thing we want is for anything bad to happen to you.

Legal Sports Betting Age

The legal sports betting age is a common topic of discussion amongst the gambling community. The basic way it works is that each state has a specific age at which it is allowed to bet on sports, but not before. This age could be the same age as for other types of gambling, or it could be totally different, depending on how the lawmakers in that state approached the legalization and regulation of sports betting. One thing to keep in mind is that some states do not have state-sanctioned sports betting yet. In this case, it is best to follow the online betting sites' terms and conditions.

Do I Have To Be 21 Years Old To Bet On Sports?

Simply put, you do not have to be 21 years old to bet on sports unless the laws of your state say so. There are 50 states in America, as well as territories such as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and each of them has different rules about gambling. Make sure you check what the rules are in the state you are in.

Washington Casino Age Limit

Legal Casino Gambling Age

Casino Gambling is one of the most important and interesting parts of the gambling ecosystem. In fact, most casinos are the most profitable type of betting for the people running them – the house wins a lot when you play the slots. That said, the appeal of a slot machine is obvious – it’s a low effort gambling medium that allows you to play a lot at once. Casinos exist all over the world, and are more than just slot machines – they have poker rooms, blackjack, roulette, sports betting, and more. In America, though, casino ages of majority tend to vary based on states. Each state has different rules and regulations and restrictions on who can enter a casino and what they can do while inside a casino. It’s not that hard to gamble in a casino if you are over the age of majority in your state. It’s also worth noting that some states have multiple ages of majority – one for commercial casinos and one for Native American casinos.

Do I Have To Be 21 To Enter A Casino?

The answer to this question depends on where you are located. You have to be 21 to gamble at casinos across some states, wherein others you can be 18 as long as you are at the right casino. Generally speaking, the Native American casinos tend to have lower age limits due to the way those agreements were drawn up, so that would probably be the first thing to check if you are in a state that has those casinos.

Legal Poker Gambling Age

Playing poker is a time-honored tradition, as poker is probably the most popular and well known of the games of chance. This section refers specifically to things like poker rooms in casinos, and USA online poker, as opposed to playing for quarters with your buddies in someone’s basement or man cave. As far as poker rooms go, the chart above should be useful – they obey the same rules as casinos in these states, and you should make sure to check your state’s policies before going.

Do I Have To Be 21 To Play Online Poker Or Enter A Poker Room?

Online poker tends to have an allowable age range of 18 years old, except where online poker is regulated and sanctioned by the states, which is in four states: Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In those states, the online poker age is 21. In other states, it tends to be 18, as the online poker networks accept people above the age of 18.

Legal Lottery Age

The lottery is the most directly state-sponsored form of gambling, and in many states is administered by a special lottery department. Basically, the way the states justify running the lottery is they say the money goes to education – it serves as a supplement to the education budget. It is worth noting, however, that this tends to simply keep education budgets above water, and allow these states to not raise taxes by raising funds via the lottery.

Do I Have To Be 21 To Play The Lottery?

In most states, you can play the lottery at age 18. This is likely because the lottery raises money for those states, and as such they want as many people as possible eligible to play it. Only Mississippi, Louisiana, Iowa and Arizona restrict it to 21 and up but keep in mind that there are a few states that do not have lotteries at all.

Legal Horse Betting Age

Horserace betting falls under the category of Parimutuel betting and can be found under that category in the chart above. Horseracing wagers are some of the oldest types of wagers that have been placed in the United States, and are where many of our current wager types are developed from. Betting on the ponies or going to the track is a time-honored tradition, and one of the greatest ways to enjoy gambling on a wonderful afternoon.

Find the best USA online horse betting sites.

Do I Have To Be 21 To Bet On Horses?

The short answer is: generally, no. The long answer is it will depend on your jurisdiction – what state you are in – and the laws you are subject to within that jurisdiction. Many states allow pari-mutuel betting at the age of 18, Alabama restricts it to 19 and up, and several other states only allow you to bet on the ponies if you are over the age of 21. Make sure you check the laws and regulations of your state before placing any bets.

Legal Bingo Gambling Age

Bingo, weirdly, is one of the most unique types of gambling, partly because many people don’t think of it as gambling. Largely it falls under the category of pull-tab games, wherein you are given a certain amount of numbers, and those numbers are called, and the game is entirely based on the luck of the call. Pull Tabs and bingo have different restrictions in many states, so keep an eye on that.

Do I Have To Be 21 To Play Online Bingo Or Enter A Bingo Hall?

As with many of these questions, the answer is something along the lines of: generally no, but make sure you check your state’s rules and regulations because in some cases the answer is yes. It’s hard to answer these questions without knowing the details of where you live when you ask the question, as each of the 50 states has different restrictions on bingo and those different regulations on wagering can change how each one governs these types of games.

Daily Fantasy Sports Betting Age

Daily fantasy sports are a recent evolution in gaming and gambling and are one of the most fun ways to enjoy fantasy sports but on a more regular basis. They are generally regarded as games of skill, where knowledge and preparation are rewarded but are fundamentally also based on luck.

Do I Have To Be 21 To Play At DFS Sites?

This one is pretty cut and dry, across the board. You do have to be over the age of 21 to play at daily fantasy sports websites. When playing daily fantasy sports on these websites, please do not lie about your age – underage gambling can have severely negative consequences, and it’s better to wait until you are 21. There are a few states where DFS is not allowed to be played, so be sure you are able to play in the state you live in.

Side Effects Of Underage Gambling

The biggest thing to know about underage gambling is that you shouldn’t do it. Underage gambling carries severe risks to you, and to any money you may have made. Your money can be confiscated, and you can be charged with serious crimes depending on the jurisdiction you are in. No matter how well a gambler is doing, when it comes to handing over your ID, claiming your taxes, or collecting your winnings, bettors can find themselves on the outside looking in regarding their winnings. Some casinos and online betting sites will even permanently ban you should you be found gambling underage.

Legal Gambling Age In Vegas

In Las Vegas, the legal gambling age is 21, across the board. Vegas was, for the longest time, the epicenter of gambling in America, and it still is. The 21 year restriction was installed so that they could say they were doing everything possible to make it a responsible place. Now that other states are legalizing gambling at different levels, it could change, but for now, the Las Vegas gambling age is 21, no exceptions.

Gambling Ages FAQ's

When did the gambling age become 21?

The basic idea was that gambling was an adult activity, and casinos, by and large, all served alcohol. Because of this, the minimum age to get into a casino became 21 in 1984, when the minimum drinking age was raised, and it’s simply stuck since then. States can set their own guidelines, but they tend not to deviate too heavily from 21.

Is the online gambling age different than my state?

There are situations where this can happen, such as if you are playing online poker, a lot of those websites are headquartered outside the United States, and as such are bound by the restrictions of their jurisdiction. Generally, however, we recommend being above the age of legality no matter where the website you’re using is located.

What happens if I get caught gambling underage?

Anything from confiscation of profits to jail time via felonies. It’ll depend on what state you’re in, but the only thing you really need to know is it’ll be very bad for you, so don’t do it.

Are there any casinos where I can gamble at 18?

There are some Native American casinos where you can gamble at 18 due to the agreements with the tribes that gave them the right to establish these casinos in the first place. This is certainly something worth looking into if you are 18 and would like to gamble – making sure you are doing it legally is incredibly important.

Why is the gambling age 21?

That is generally regarded as the age of majority for things like this in the United States. For example, alcohol consumption age is also 21. I could speculate here about the United States’ puritan beginnings, or point out that it’s weird that you can sign up to go to war before you can drink and gamble, but I’m sure you’ve already heard that.

What is different about Native American casinos?

Well, basically, the agreements signed with the Native Americans entitled them to certain things, and in some cases, entitled them to open casinos with specified legal gambling ages that were not overseen by state agencies, and existed on tribal land. Thus, the laws are slightly different. Also, the majority (if not all) of tribal casinos do not serve alcohol if they let 18-year-olds in the door.

What is the gambling age in sports stadiums?

In a sports stadium, you’d simply need to refer to the age for sports betting. Many sports stadiums are working on implementing in-stadium betting, and it will obey the same laws as sports betting anywhere else would.

Why don’t they lower the gambling age?

Generally, the reasons boil down to concern for the welfare of children, which is a fair concern to have. That said, it’s worth noting that the age to join the military is 18 years old. Still, this would have to happen on the state level and legislators are definitely too focused on other higher priority changes.

What is the gambling age on cruise ships or in international waters?

On cruise ships or in international waters, the gambling age is whatever jurisdiction you are in. If you are in Costa Rica, you are subject to the laws and regulations of Costa Rica, for example. Over international waters, the age is set at 18.

Why is there a gambling age?

Because gambling is a risky activity, and we regulate certain risky activities by restricting them to people who are of a certain age. Gambling can influence the lives and welfare of people so governments ensure those who are old enough to make their own responsible decisions are the only ones who can gamble.