Guide to the Arizona Gambling Age: Sports Betting & AZ Casinos

The great state of Arizona has a mixed approach to gambling; as home to the largest amount of Native American land of any US state, it houses one of the largest numbers of tribal land-based casinos in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. But on the other-hand online gambling is completely illegal, meaning that any form of gambling must be undertaken in person.

On this page we will go into detail about the legal Arizona gambling age for the legalized forms of gambling, as well as giving good insight into the legal forms of gambling as well as posturing as to whether there may be changes to the state legislation that governs gambling in Arizona.

In the table above we have outlined the legal gambling age for the forms of gambling that are legal in Arizona. Where N/A appears in the table, this means that this area of gambling is not currently legalized in Arizona.

While land-based casinos are technically outlawed in Arizona, casinos are able to operate on tribal lands and the legal age for casino entry in Arizona is 21. Whereas for all other legalized forms of gambling in Arizona the age limit is 18 – this covers Bingo, Lottery and Pari-Mutuel betting.

In the sections below we will go into more detail about the legal status of each type of gambling in Arizona and where applicable give more details about the legal gambling age in Arizona.

Casino Age in Arizona

As mentioned above, while land-based casinos are technically illegal in Arizona, there is a workaround in that casinos on tribal lands are permitted. When the gambling laws were introduced in Arizona in 1912 all casino gambling was made illegal, however when the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was introduced in 1988 casinos located on tribal lands began to pop-up.

As of December 2019, Arizona has 26 casinos operating on tribal lands the majority of which offer Class III games which include casino favorites card table games and slot machines. This is in contrast to a lot of other states such as Alabama where the casinos located on tribal lands are limited to Class II games (bingo & scratch cards).

The casino age in Arizona is 21, meaning that you must be above the age of 21 to enter any casino in Arizona. This is most likely set at 21 as this is the legal drinking age in the US, as the majority of casinos in the state serve alcohol.

What are the Casinos In Arizona that Accept 18 Year Olds?

There are no 18 year old casinos in Arizona that allow entry to younger players. As stated in the section above the legal gambling age in Arizona to enter a casino is 21 years old. This is not to say though that there are no gambling activities 18 year olds can get involved with in Arizona.

One popular form of gambling that is legalized in Arizona, that 18 year olds can participate in, is Bingo. There are several Bingo Halls in Arizona that they are able to enter, players will not find any electronic Bingo Machines in these Bingo Halls as they are only legally allowed to offer the traditional form of called Bingo. This ban on Bingo machines in Arizona as, in line with all other state gambling laws which only legalize in person forms of gambling that do not require the use of a machine.

For those players who are over the age of 21 and able to gamble at the land-based casinos in Arizona, we’ve found the addresses of the top casinos in Arizona for you and pulled them together in the table below.

Sports Betting in Arizona

Arizona allows land-based pari-mutuel sports betting, the legal betting age for this is 18+. One recent development in Arizona state legislation that individuals should be aware of is that gambling on dog racing was outlawed in 2017, so the only pari-mutuel betting that is allowed by the state is horse racing.

Where it gets more complicated for those who want to bet on sporting events in Arizona is that bets can only be placed in person, all online betting is illegal. So, for those who wish to place bets on any horse races can only do so either at the racetrack or at one of the other 55 licensed locations.

There have been some murmurings of legalizing online sports betting recently with the Arizona Governor Doug Ducey voicing his support of this, however Arizona state senator Jon Kyl is anti-gambling so it remains to be seen whether online sports betting will be allowed.

AZ Online Gambling Age

While Arizona’s state laws do not explicitly mention online gambling, as they were enacted in 1912, there is an implicit understanding across the state that online gambling in all forms is illegal, therefore there is no legal online gambling age for Arizona. This blanket ban on online gambling also includes Daily Fantasy Sports.

Due to a recent ruling in 2019 regarding the Federal Wire Act 1961, the legality of online gambling across the US as a whole is in doubt. However, this has not stopped some states maintaining the legality of some forms of online gambling, states such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania allow online casino gambling – so residents of Arizona who really want to gamble online could do so by planning a trip to the East Coast.

Another work around, for those who are adamant that they want to gamble online, is to use offshore gambling sites. However, players who do choose to use this method should be aware that they will not be covered by any state or federal consumer protection laws as any offshore site is not licensed or regulated within the US.

Poker Gambling Age in Arizona

As mentioned in the section above, all online gambling is outlawed in Arizona. This blanket online banning means that online poker rooms are illegal, and therefore there is no legal Arizona gambling age for online poker rooms.

However, physical poker rooms/poker tables are permitted within land-based casinos in Arizona – so for residents who are hanging out for a game of poker best to make your way to the nearest physical casino offering the classic casino card game. As indicated in the table above, the legal gambling age in Arizona for those wanting to participate in a poker game is 21 – the age an individual must be to enter a casino in Arizona.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is a recent development in the modern gambling industry, and it is a bit on an anomaly in terms of its legal standing in most states. States find it hard to rule on its legality, as there is a claim that as it involves skill it doesn’t occupy the same area as traditional forms of gambling. Because of this Daily Fantasy Sports has been able to operate in a grey area of law in many states across the US.

Arizona, even though it is home to many passionate sports fans, has taken a strong stand against Daily Fantasy Sports and it is considered an illegal form of gambling. While there have been no laws passed expressly stating that Daily Fantasy Sports are illegal, there is an implied illegality in that it is considered to fit under the same definition as online sports betting.

However, there may be changes afoot for Arizona residents who want to participate in Daily Fantasy Sports gambling. The Attorney General stated in 2019 that if laws are changed then Daily Fantasy Sports could potentially be classified as ‘amusement gaming’ which would bestow legality upon it – but residents shouldn’t hold their breaths yet as there haven’t been any concrete moves made within the state legislature to make the legal amendments needed to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Arizona

Arizona does have a state lottery which has become a beloved state-wide institution. After gaining legality in 1980, the first lottery ticket was sold in July 1981. The lottery has then gone on to raise millions of dollars for state education, health, business and environmental causes. Players need to be 21 years old to purchase lottery tickets in Arizona.

The state lottery in Arizona is run by the Arizona Lottery Commission who also regulate the lottery itself. The Commission is also responsible for distributing the hundreds of millions of dollars raised each year through taxes applied to the sale of lottery tickets.

Keeping consistent with all other Arizona gambling laws, an online lottery is not yet legal in Arizona. Any individual who wishes to purchase a ticket in the Grand Canyon state will have to do so in person at a registered lottery seller. This is not to say that an online lottery will not be made legal in the future in Arizona, but for the moment the state seems to be happy with the current lottery format and the amount of money it is able to raise for community causes.

Arizona Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Arizona’s state gambling laws can be found in the state’s criminal code under A.R.S 13.3301. Under this law gambling is defined as ‘one act of risking or giving something of value for the opportunity to obtain a benefit from a game or contest of chance or skill or a future contingent event but does not include bona fide business transactions’.

Under the same laws each form of legal gambling is considered to fit within one of the following definitions; amusement gambling, regulated gambling or social gambling. Those gambling forms that sit outside of these definitions are considered illegal, alongside those forms that have been expressly stated to be illegal by other proclamations or legislature passed by the state.

Each year gambling in Arizona accounts for $4.75million in economic impact for the state with $1.90 million in direct gambling profits, gambling also supports almost 40,000 jobs in Arizona (as of Dec. 2019). This massive state wide impact fully showcases how successful gambling forms such as the state wide lottery are at helping to support state community initiatives.

Most winnings made through gambling in Arizona are considered personal income and are therefore taxed at the individuals personal income rate. However, winnings from the state lottery have a slightly different taxation method. All lottery winnings, like all gambling winnings, must be declared to the IRS where a 4.8% state income tax is applied alongside 24% in federal taxes – meaning that in total lottery winners can be expected to be taxed almost 30% of their winnings.

Currently Arizona has quite an antiquated approach when it comes to gaming. With all forms of online gaming outlawed, the only legal forms of gambling available for individuals in Arizona are; visiting one of the many land-based casinos that are allowed to operate on tribal lands, in person pari-mutuel bets on horse racing or purchasing a state lottery ticket.

While many other surrounding states have legalized some form of online gambling Arizona is standing strong with their anti-online gambling stance, maintaining full compliance with the recent Federal Wire Act interpretation. Where things could change is in the online sports betting arena, with the Arizona Governor throwing is weight behind this cause – however with the current state senator maintaining an anti-gambling stance any move to change gambling laws will likely event in an interesting showdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has given you a good overview of the state of gambling laws in Arizona and the gambling age required for each type of legalized gambling. However, we do understand that you might still have some questions that need answers. To hopefully help answer any burning questions you might have, we have pulled together answers to some of the most frequently asked questions below. If you’d like to learn more about gaming in the United States, check out our page on gambling ages by state.