Casino Rules Age



Minimum Gambling Age Statewide, the minimum gambling age is 21 2 , so those under 21 trying to get free drinks at the slot machines are breaking two rules (the servers will card guests). Minors are not allowed in the casino gaming areas. Choctaw Casinos & Resorts expressly reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of these House Rules, from time to time, and at any time. About Us The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a thriving nation of nearly 200,000 people. The states also have differing legal gambling ages, with some states requiring the same minimum age for all types of gambling, while for others, it depends on the activity. For example, in New Jersey, an 18-year-old can buy a lottery ticket or bet on a horse race, but cannot enter a casino until age 21.

The legal gambling age in Washington varies based on the location and type of gambling, but there are gambling options available to any player who is at least 18 years old. On this page, inquisitive gamblers will find everything they need to know about the legal age for various gambling activities in Washington state, along with an overview of some of the best providers of each one. It will also cover legal online gambling, poker, horse betting, the lottery, and more.

In Washington, the vast majority of legal intrastate gambling goes through tribal casinos owned and operated on Indian reservations. The state legislature has been strict about protecting pre-existing gaming compacts, and nontribal casinos are extremely limited in what they can offer. Unfortunately, this has limited the consumer choice and accessibility for Washington gamblers, especially given that the legislature has pushed back against all attempts to authorize statewide online and mobile gambling. Many players have instead turned to online casinos/sportsbooks, which are not bound by state or federal law.

Washington Ages For Gambling
Legal Sports Betting Age in Washington21
Legal Casino Age in Washington18/21
Legal Poker Age in Washington18
Legal Lottery Age in Washington18
Legal Horse Betting Age in Washington18
Legal DFS Age in Washington18
Legal Bingo Age in Washington18/21

What Is The Legal Gambling Age At Casinos In Washington?

Statewide, the legal age for all kinds of gambling, including casino gambling, is 18. Every casino in Washington is free to set its own age restrictions, however. Many casinos increase their age requirement to 21 so they can allow drinks on the gaming floor and maximize the value of their alcohol license. There are currently six brick-and-mortar casinos in Washington that allow 18-year-old players:

  • BJ’s Bingo & Gaming
  • Chewelah Casino
  • Lancer Lanes Fun Center and Casino
  • Royal Casino
  • Swinomish Casino & Lodge
  • The Last Frontier Casino
  • The Last Frontier Casino

18-year-old Washington residents can also bet with online casinos like Bovada and Slots.lv, which are not subject to the limitations of either physical space or a liquor license.

Legal Online Casinos For Washington Residents

While there is no state-run online gambling, Washington residents can still legally gamble with numerous online casinos. These online casinos are actually more robust and fully featured than most brick-and-mortar casinos, owing to their global player base of millions of people. Economies of scale and the virtual nature of online casinos allow them to offer more betting options with better payout rates at lower costs. Some of the best online casino brands in the world are trusted brands like Bovada, Slots.lv, MyBookie, and 5Dimes.

Slots.lv - Over 200 Slots To Pick

Like most online casinos, Slots.lv accepts all players who are at least 18 years old. The main selling point of Slots.lv is obviously its slots, and it doesn’t disappoint with over 230 different slots to choose from. Players also have access to a variety of different table games like blackjack and baccarat, as well as other miscellaneous games like bingo and keno. Players can also take part in daily tournaments offering huge rewards relative to the buy-in. The biggest draw of Slots.lv is how player-focused and convenient it is. With a fully-featured mobile site, 24/7 customer support, and fast and easy deposit and payout options, Slots.lv sets a high bar for online casino gaming.

Lucky Red - Accepts All Washington residents

Despite the legal climate in the state, Lucky Red Casino still accepts residents from the state of Washington. Those who live in Washington and are above 18 may join the this casino. A 400% bonus is awaiting new players, giving up to $4,000 dollars in free cash. As one of the best online casinos, Lucky Red has some of the highest security measures around. Many deposit methods can be used. Try Lucky Red and see what all the fuss is about and learn why Washington residents prefer it.

Legal Washington Online Casinos

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Washington Sports Betting Sites

In the 2019-2020 legislative session, Washington lawmakers considered a bill, SB 6277, that would have authorized tribal casinos to operate statewide mobile sports betting platforms, but it was left to die in favor of a more conservative sports betting bill. While the slow, incremental rate of change for Washington gambling legislation is disappointing, it is at least encouraging to see change. In the meantime, online casinos are a strong alternative option

What Is The Legal Sports Betting Age In Washington?

Washington does not yet offer state-sanctioned sports betting, but it is likely to pass SB 6394, which will allow sports betting at licensed tribal casinos. Presumably, the minimum age for sports betting will be 18 when it passes, but if betting is restricted to casino premises, 18-year-old players could still end up locked out. All Washington residents 18 and older can bet with online sportsbooks right now, however.

Legal Sports Betting Sites For Washington Residents

The only sports betting sites available to Washington residents right now are those based outside of the United States. These sportsbooks cater to a global audience, and that size allows them to offer bets on everything from the NFL playoffs down to European table tennis. They also offer superior odds to local sportsbooks as well, because their bets aren’t so horribly skewed by regional biases. The best incentive online sportsbooks offer is probably their promotional bonuses, which give players the chance to double or even triple the value of their deposits.

Bovada - College And Pro Seattle Team Betting

Bovada accepts all Washington players who are at least 18 years of age, for both casino and sports gambling. There are no restrictions on betting offerings, so Evergreen State players can bet on every team from the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks down to the FCS’s Eastern Washington University, as long as Bovada is offering odds on them. Bovada also offers other betting options, including pop culture events like the Oscars and American election results.

Legal Washington Online Sportsbooks

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What Is The Legal Poker Age In Washington?

Like every other type of gambling, the legal poker age in Washington is 18, but individual establishments are free to impose their own restrictions and limit their player base to 21 and up. There are 51 total poker rooms throughout the state. Washington residents 18 and older can also play using online poker sites.

Legal Poker Sites For Washington Residents

Washington law doesn’t currently allow casinos to offer online poker to players, but residents can still play online poker with websites that operate outside of U.S. jurisdiction. Most major online gambling firms offer at least a few variations of online poker. The best options is probably 5Dimes because it offers more poker variations than comparable websites, including Hold ‘Em, Omaha, Hi/Lo, three-card, and more.

BetOnline Poker - Trusted By Washington residents

BetOnline is one online poker room that has not pulled from the Washington market. You are entitled to join in on the most powerful poker rooms online if you join BetOnline's poker site. You can receive a 50% Poker Reload Bonus up to $250, which you can receive regardless of which deposit option you chose - VISA, MasterCard, Digital Pay, or Bitcoin. BetOnline Poker has tables of every type of game, so you should never be without an option to enjoy and make money while doing so.

Legal Washington Poker Sites

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What Is The Legal Gambling Age To Bet On Horses In Washington?

Washington horse betting, also known as pari-mutuel wagering, is restricted to people 18 years old and up. There are five full-time horse racing tracks in Washington, the most famous of which is Emerald Downs in Auburn Valley. State law allows only one off-track betting parlor per county in Washington, and none can be located within twenty miles driving distance of an actual track.

Horse Betting Sites For Washington Residents

Major international sportsbooks offer the option to bet on numerous horse races around the world, from relatively small regional races to globally broadcast mega-events like the Dubai World Cup. One of the best horse betting options in the world is Bovada. Alternatively, Washington is one of the states eligible for pari-mutuel wagering via a domestic website called TVG, although players must be at least 21 to do so.

How Old Do I Have To Be To Play The Lottery In Washington?

Anyone who is at least 18 years old can purchase lottery tickets or scratch-offs in Washington. There are seven different jackpot lottery games and 10 different scratch-offs available to Washington residents. Proceeds from lottery purchases go directly into a fund that supports education, infrastructure, and more.

What Is The Legal Gambling Age For DFS In Washington?

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) are not legal in Washington, one of only a handful of states with such a restriction. If you live in Washington and want to voice your support for legal DFS, consider contacting your local state representative.

Online Bingo For Washington Residents

If you like bingo and you must play online, know that you may do so. This form of online gambling also does not stray from the legal gambling ages in Washington. As such, you have to be 18 years of age or older in order to participate. As with over forms of gambling in the state, you can be prosecuted for gambling online in Washington.

Vic's Bingo - Top Washington Bingo Site Online

Vic's Bingo is the one bingo hall that we suggest above any other. By accepting a large number of deposit options, Vic's bingo makes gambling through this site as easy as possible. A 150% match bonus is awaiting those players who first sign up and make their first deposit through Vic's Bingo. If you join you will be able to collect this bonus on both your first and seconds deposits. If you adhere to the legal gambling ages in Washington, you will be able to play all the games offered at Vic's Bingo hall.

Gambling Law: An Overview

Gambling, though widespread in the United States, is subject to legislation at both the state and federal level that bans it from certain areas, limits the means and types of gambling, and otherwise regulates the activity.

Congress has used its power under the Commerce Clause to regulate interstate gambling, international gambling, and relations between the United States and Native American territories. For example, it has passed laws prohibiting the unauthorized transportation of lottery tickets between states, outlawing sports betting with certain exceptions, and regulating the extent to which gambling may exist on Native American land.

Each state determines what kind of gambling it allows within its borders, where the gambling can be located, and who may gamble. Each state has enacted different laws pertaining to these topics. The states also have differing legal gambling ages, with some states requiring the same minimum age for all types of gambling, while for others, it depends on the activity. For example, in New Jersey, an 18-year-old can buy a lottery ticket or bet on a horse race, but cannot enter a casino until age 21. Presumably, the age 21 restriction is due to the sale of alcohol in that location.

A standard strategy for avoiding laws that prohibit, constrain, or aggressively tax gambling is to locate the activity just outside the jurisdiction that enforces them, in a more 'gambling friendly' legal environment. Gambling establishments often exist near state borders and on ships that cruise outside territorial waters. Gambling activity has also exploded in recent years in Native American territory. Internet-based gambling takes this strategy and extends it to a new level of penetration, for it threatens to bring gambling directly into homes and businesses in localities where a physical gambling establishment could not conduct the same activity.

Internet Gambling

Federal Regulation

In the 1990s, when the World Wide Web was growing rapidly in popularity, online gambling appeared to represent an end-run around government control and prohibition. A site operator needed only to establish the business in a friendly offshore jurisdiction such as the Bahamas and begin taking bets. Anyone with access to a web browser could find the site and place wagers by credit card. Confronted with this blatant challenge to American policies, the Department of Justice and Congress explored the applicability of current law and the desirability of new regulation for online gambling.

In exploring whether an offshore Internet gambling business taking bets from Americans violated federal law, attention was focused on the Wire Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1084 (2000). The operator of a wagering business is at risk of being fined and imprisoned under the Wire Act if the operator knowingly uses a 'wire communication facility' to transmit information related to wagering on 'any sporting event or contest.' 18 U.S.C. § 1084(a). An exception exists if that act is legal in both the source and destination locations of the transmission. § 1084(b). The Wire Act’s definition of “wire communication facility” appears to embrace the nation's entire telecommunications infrastructure, and therefore probably applies to online gambling. See § 1081.

The Department of Justice maintains that, under the Wire Act, all Internet gambling by bettors in the United States is illegal. U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers, 110th Cong., Nov. 14, 2007 (testimony of Catherine Hanaway, U.S. Attorney (E.D. Mo.), Dept. of Justice). The Fifth Circuit disagreed, ruling that the Wire Act applies only to sports betting, not other types of gambling. In re MasterCard Int’l Inc., 313 F.3d 257 (5th Cir. 2002).

In 2006, Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which made it illegal for wagering businesses to knowingly accept payment in connection with unlawful Internet gambling (though it does not itself make Internet gambling illegal). 109 Pub. L. 109-347, Title VIII (Oct. 13, 2006) (codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 5301, 5361–67). It also authorizes the Federal Reserve System to create regulations that prohibit financial transaction providers (banks, credit card companies, etc.) from accepting those payments. See 31 U.S.C. § 5363(4). This Act, along with threats of prosecution under the Wire Act from the Department of Justice, has caused several Internet gambling businesses to withdraw from the U.S. market.

In response, House Representatives introduced multiple bills in 2007 to soften federal Internet gambling law. If passed, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act and the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act would license, regulate, and tax Internet gambling businesses rather than prohibit them from taking bets from the United States. Alternatively, the Skill Game Protection Act would clarify the Wire Act to exempt certain games such as poker and chess.

State Regulation

Atlantic City Casino Rules Age

In addition to federal measures, some states have enacted legislation to prohibit some types of Internet gambling. In 2006, Washington State amended its Code to make knowingly transmitting or receiving gambling information over the Internet a felony. See Wash. Rev. Code § 9.46.240 (2006). Other states with similar prohibitions have made it a misdemeanor instead. See e.g., 720 ILCS 5/28-1 (2007).

States have not been particularly active in enforcing these laws, possibly due to a conflict with the dormant Commerce Clause doctrine. That doctrine theorizes that state law applying to commerce outside the state’s borders is unconstitutional because that power lies with federal, not state, government. In particular, federal preemption has obstructed states’ attempts to regulate gambling activity on Indian reservations within state borders. See Missouri ex rel. Nixon v. Coeur D’Alene Tribe, 164 F.3d 1102 (8th Cir. 1999). The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, 25 U.S.C. § 29 (2000), governs gambling activity on Indian reservations, but the extent to which it and other federal gambling laws preempt state action in the Internet arena is uncertain.

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Federal Material

Casino Rules In Atlantic City

U.S. Constitution and Federal Statutes

  • U.S. Code: Title 15, Chapter 24: Transportation of Gambling Devices
  • U.S. Code: Title 15, Chapter 57, Interstate Horseracing
  • U.S. Code: Title 18, Chapter 50: Gambling
  • U.S. Code: Title 18, Chapter 61: Lotteries
  • 18 U.S.C. §1953 (Interstate Transportation of Wagering Paraphernalia Act)
  • 18 U.S.C. §1955 (Illegal Gambling Business Act of 1970)
  • 25 U.S.C. §§2701-2721 (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act)
  • U.S. Code: Title 28, Chapter 178: Professional and Amateur Sports Protection
  • Code of Federal Regulations: Title 25, Chapter 3: National Indian Gaming Commission, Department of the Interior
  • Proposed Internet Gambling Prohibition Act of 1997 (not passed)

Federal Judicial Decisions

Casino Rules Age Games

  • Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Association, Inc. v. United States, 527 U.S. 173 (1999)
  • Ratzlaf v. United States, 510 U.S. 135 (1994)
  • Chickasaw Nation v. United States, 534 U.S. 84 (1999)

Nj Casino Age Rules

State Material

Winstar Casino Age Rules

Other References

  • '14 Charged in Internet Betting' (Washington Post, March 5, 1998)

Pa Casino Age Rules

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