Why Is the Age for Casino Gambling 21?

As a follow-up to today's question (on infants in casino), aside from the obvious tie-in with alcohol purchases and comps, is there a reason casinos in America seemingly universally require patrons to be 21? Almost every state I’m aware of allows lottery tickets to be purchased by 18-year-olds, and many card rooms with high stakes poker are 18-plus. Lastly, cruise ships sailing from America are 18-and-up for their casinos, even though they won’t allow anyone under 21 to buy alcohol. Given the number of over-18 but under-21-aged folks I see lined up to get into the night clubs every weekend, it seems like Vegas is missing out on an opportunity to bolster the bottom line a bit, something about as rare as catching Halley’s Comet.

We took your question to someone who has strong and informed opinions on the subject, University of Nevada-Las Vegas International Gaming Institute Distinguished Fellow Alan Feldman.

In his previous career as a casino executive, Feldman was the lead spokesperson for Mirage Resorts, then for MGM Resorts International, before retiring to pursue his interest in helping to curb compulsive gambling.

“In the past 30 years, there’s been quite a bit of research on gambling and youth and lowering the gambling age below 21 would be a very bad idea," Feldman told us, “The brain isn't fully formed [yet]. Even 21 might be a little young. It’s a bit nebulous, but 21 is at least a moment at which brain development is more advanced than in an 18- or 19-year-old. Problem gambling affects youth disproportionately. We see more people under 21 in the higher incidence of harm from gambling than those above 21.

“There's also a direct connection between research done on people who are in treatment for gambling disorders with their having started at a young age. To be clear, that doesn't mean that everyone who gambles at a young age will be affected by a gambling disorder. However, the majority of those who are affected by it started at a young age.

"I guess you could make an economic argument about money. What exactly are you trying to achieve by going at people who are still very much in the minimum-wage category of their lives? More for the social and psychological reasons, it’s just not a good idea."

Feldman doesn’t accept the premise of your question.

“The fact that there are differences in ages for certain activities doesn’t mean those differences are correct. Had they asked me when lotteries were first coming on, I would have said, ‘Oh no no no. Make it 21.’ There’s no reason for it to be 18. There's a widely held perception that lotteries are harmless. They obviously aren't to a small number of people. The larger issue is whether or not lotteries are setting in motion a larger cycle of gambling that ends up, at some point afterwards, in a very harmful situation.

“The issue that casinos rarely allow people under 21 has nothing to do with casinos. It has everything to do with state laws. The casinos don’t set the age; the state does. I’ve actually heard many casino companies urging that the minimum age be set at 21 rather than under. The casino industry respects this as well. I haven’t done specific research — my knowledge comes from my own kids, one of whom was involved in the management of nightclubs. They don’t really want to have people who are under 21. They just aren’t the kind of customers most of these places are really looking for. Then you get into the problem of someone who is underage mixing with people who are of age and there are just bound to be problems as far as alcohol service.”

We advanced the not-unfamiliar contention that if one is old enough to vote and serve in the military, one ought to be old enough to gamble. Feldman made short work of that.

“In some cases, gambling carries with it the consequences of very damaging side effects. There’s just no reason to encourage that. My preference would be that the age would be raised in any state where it’s 18 for any gambling activity. I’m also of the view that tobacco should be restricted more tightly than it is and tobacco is a known addictive product. Ninety-eight percent of the people who use it properly [still] become addicted.

“Some of these other examples usually don’t hold water and relate to some social need at the time that they were envisioned. The 18-year-old age for the military goes back I don’t know how many decades. It has to do with people who were physically fit and capable of great endurance. One may be a little hard-pressed to argue that someone who’s 18, 19, or 20 isn’t going to fit that bill. That doesn’t automatically give them the right to do anything else.”

Every so often, some Nevada legislator proposes lowering the gambling age to 18, but it hasn’t been tried in a long time.

“I can’t imagine it even would have gotten to a committee,” Feldman opines. “Here in Nevada, the gaming industry would have stood firm against that. They know that’s not a winning issue. The topic that does come up in Nevada is whether or not the state should have a lottery. And when that's raised, it brings with it this issue of (the minimum) age to participate.

“Here again, if the state were to move forward with that, I would seek to testify or give public comment that 18 is not the right age. Lotteries may be less harmful than other forms of gaming — maybe. But the fact is that people who get in the most trouble are usually participating in three or four different kinds of gambling activities. So you have to take it as part of the whole and not isolate it unto itself.”

So there you have both sides of the argument, one in the question, the other in the answer. Who would like to weigh in on either side?

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Comments

Jackie Mar-22-2023

BS arguments

Problem gambling is just another form of addiction.
Right up there with booze, drugs, and smoking.
Kids who grew up around parents with those addictions would be more likely to become addicted to anything.

Learning in youth to become a problem gambler?
I started playing in the family penny ante poker games at 12 years old.
I now live in Nevada and never had a problem handling my gambling.
But then no one in among my kinfolk were addicts.
Neither am I.

So those arguments against 18 year olds not allowed to gamble are based in prejudice and bigotry.
Think of it this way, if those against it are so sure 18 year olds don't have what it takes to gamble responsibly then why are they also not responsible enough to cast a vote?
Or volunteer their life for this Country.

David Mar-22-2023

As the parent of a 19 year old

who can legally take out unlimited student loans, who can invest his money (earned or otherwise) in risky stocks and make a lifetime commitment by getting married or buy a gun, it does seem ridiculous.  By the way, I always thought individual states set the age limit on gambling and alcoholic purchases.  Some Native American casinos (last time I checked) are 18 and the Federal Government "encourages" states by withholding highway money if the drinking age isn't 21.  Ask your over 60 year old grandparents how they turned out ok when the drinking under was under 21 and watch the reaction.

Jack Gruber Mar-22-2023

drinking age

When states began raising the drinking age to 21 from 18, the rules for casinos seemed to follow.  Just an observation.

Edso Mar-22-2023

Agree with Jack

There definitely has to be a correlation with the 21 drinking age and being able to play at casinos.

Bryan Carr Mar-22-2023

South Dakota

I'd be interested in hearing Mr. Feldman's opinion on letting children be with adults while they gamble in South Dakota. I was in South Dakota with my 9-year-old daughter to see Mt. Rushmore and I stopped in a casino in Deadwood. I enjoyed having her with me while I played on a slot machine. I was instructed that she could stand next to me or sit in my lap but she was not allowed to touch the machine. She watched me play for about two minutes and then walked away and played on her Gameboy. She's 18 years old now and has absolutely no interest in gambling. She doesn't even play the lottery here in Georgia. 
Mr. Feldman is against lowering the age to be able to play in a casino to 18, but I wonder how he, or the staff at LAsVegasAdvisor, feels about letting their children watch their parents when gambling.

Ray Mar-22-2023

Why 18?

The arguments that seem to be made apparently are focused on 18. Once again, it is relating to ages of other things in the country. But the same can be said for 16...or 14...or 12 like Jackie was (me too, and maybe even before I was 12). But ages for almost everything we do is arbitrary. Just check out the car rentals. They won't rent you a car until you are 25!! And 18 year-olds (and even younger) already are in NCAA bracket pools, joined a Super Bowl pool, and many other wagering opportunities. Making the gambling age 21 does not stop people under 21 from gambling (just like drinking)

O2bnVegas Mar-22-2023

The science

I personally buy into the research that says the human brain does not reach full development before age 25.  That's kind of a 'Yikes!', since people marry, are into responsible jobs (medical, teaching, etc.) before 25, but are they fully competent in those areas?  Thinking back, even though by age 21 I had graduated, was a working RN, had bought a car, managed my bills fairly well, I now recognize that my decision-making would have been much better with a few more years of cognitive/social development.

Who can say why and how this or that person would manage their gambling financially prior to age 21?  I'm guessing that facial recognition science hasn't progressed to determine which pre-21 human has the sense to manage what could impact the rest of their life, so age 21 is probably a decent middle of the road age for drinking and gambling.  Wish it was also for smoking.  Think of the future misery avoided by not starting smoking in teen years.

Candy

[email protected] Mar-22-2023

As a 65yo grandmother...

I turned out OK but just by the Grace of God because all high schoolers could easily access alcohol.  The legal age was 18 and the rules weren't enforced.  However, these days kids can and do easily purchase vape products, so alcohol and gambling seem kinda tame.

rokgpsman Mar-22-2023

Immaturity at its finest

After seeing the way some young adults act on the Strip I'm ok if the age requirement was raised to 30 and above.

Lotel Mar-22-2023

Oklahoma allows 18 yr olds

Indian casinos in Oklahoma and some other states  allow 18yr olds . i have not heard of any big problems.  Oklahoma also has counties you can't buy alcohol. weird state.  I don't think Las Vegas wants 18yr olds gambling .

jay Mar-22-2023

Come to Canada

In Canada the drinking/gambling age is 18 in Alberta and Quebec and 19 in most other parts of the country. We get a large number of students coming up from the US to party. Our strip clubs are fully nude and allow drinking as well. Sarnia Ontario has the distinction of the highest number of strippers per population as it’s a major trucking route over the blue water bridge from Michigan. It’s less than a 2hr drive from Detroit. 

Niagara Falls is also a huge draw for those from NY state and there are bus trips from Ohio and PA to Casinos in Winsor Ontario. The latter are very popular with the senior crowd as they use the overnight bus trip to buy their meds. Diabetic drugs (same name brands) are typically less than 25% of US drug costs. Ie buy 90 days of Insulin  for less than  30 day supply.

Dave_Miller_DJTB Mar-22-2023

Probably just more convenient

It seems that most of the responses, and initial QOD answer, don't make good arguments for either 18 or 21.

I believe the gambling age follows the drinking age for convenience. By keeping the 18-20 year olds out, you don't have to have overworked casino waitresses checking IDs every time. Casinos that allow 18 year olds are those where the casino does not serve alcohol, or where the drinking age is 18.

Plus, as pointed out, 18, 19 and 20 year olds generally don't have excess money to gamble with, which leaves little incentive for casinos to try to accommodate them.

On the other hand, bingo halls, including those attached to 21+ casinos, and even those that serve alcohol, generally allow 18 year olds for other reasons: Bingo halls are brightly lit rooms that are quiet with patrons that tend to stay put. That makes it much easier to keep an eye on things to make sure 18-20 year olds don't drink.

Ronald Kaim Mar-22-2023

gambling

I do not know if it is everywhere but the Native American casinos in Oklahoma, the minimum age to gamble is 18.

Kevin Lewis Mar-22-2023

Brain development

I know quite a few people whose brains are definitely not fully developed. And they're in their fifties and sixties.

That Don Guy Mar-22-2023

Every year, at the WSOP...

It seems that there is at least one person who won a tournament overseas where the prize was a free entry into the WSOP main event, but they had to turn it down because the minimum age for the qualifier was 18 while the WSOP minimum is 21.

[email protected] Mar-22-2023

NO

There already WAY too many 21-30 year olds "hooked" on gambling now that it's legal nearly everywhere and ESPECIALLY on their phones which are in their face 24/7.Back in the day I had to go to some effort to "get down" with the local bookie and then meet at te end of the week to settle up at bowling alley. Now these "kids" can drain their ban accounts at home sitting around watching the game on TV. Bad idea for 18-20 yr olds that ALSO have som nuch gambling info, err TOUTS on the Internet at their touch where "we" had to wait for the "Gold Sheet" once a week and then drive to the bookstore. And for you youngins that want to call me out....Please save the "OK BOOMER". At least come with somethimg original..LOL

Doozey Mar-23-2023

Televised Poker

I blame televised poker in the 1990s for my quitting table games. Too many kids think they have to flap their yaps like the "stars" on TV. Also slots got a lot more interesting about that time. The Palms and the Hard Rock being the "cool" places had more than enough college yahoos staggering around.  Keep gambling off TV.

Question of the Day - 22 March 2023

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