In general, gambling can be a fun, stress-relieving activity—in moderation. However, before you hit the jackpot on online casino games, you must ensure that you’re old enough to gamble legally.

But how old do you have to be to gamble online? Keep reading to find out because if you happen to be underage and win the jackpot, you likely won’t get paid.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Gamble Online?

A majority of the states in the U.S. set a minimum legal gambling age at 21. However, there are a few exceptions.

A Few Exceptions

In some states, like Arizona, you must be 21 to gamble, but you can legally gamble on sanctioned online casinos when you’re as young as 18.

In other states, the legal age is set at 18 with no mention of 21 whatsoever. Before online casinos, states that allowed 18-year-olds to gamble typically had them play games at casinos that prohibit alcohol.

Online Gambling Restrictions

Whether it’s an online casino or in-person, the gambling age limit is set in stone by law. In most cases, if you can’t play in a live casino, you’re likely restricted from playing online as well.

However, it pays to double-check your state laws. As mentioned earlier, some states allow those at least 18 years old to play in sanctioned online casinos.

Additionally, you don’t want to risk playing online if you’re legally unable to do so. While some may allow you to play, you’ll hit a large bump in the road when it comes time to withdraw your winnings.

You can rest assured that 99.99 percent of all online casinos will request that you send in documents that match the information you submitted when you signed up. One of which is your legitimate age.

Of course, you can always go with an offshore casino that allows 18-year-olds to play even when the state law states you must be 21.

However, many of these are illegal casinos that are breaking the law, and it should be a site you run away from as fast as possible.

They not only have your sensitive financial information, but you can be sure that getting yourself involved with those sites means you’re likely also breaking the law in some form.

Why 21?

There have been many debates on if the U.S. should lower the gambling and drinking age to 18. On the one hand, the legal age limit is 18 in Europe. Why not make it the same stateside?

However, the argument against this is that gambling is an addictive activity that can lead an individual to financial ruin.

Ultimately, there’s no real right answer to this debate. It’s a matter of self-control and perspective. But until the law changes, the age limit is what it is, and it will not likely change for the foreseeable future.

How Old to Gamble?

How old do you have to be to gamble online? It’s safe to say if you have to ask, it’s better to wait. In most states, the online casino games age limit is 21.

But as mentioned earlier, this is a state law—not federal. If you’re under 21 and want to gamble in an online casino, be sure to double-check you live in a state that allows 18 and up gambling.

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