Find the Montana Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

Known as the Treasure State, Montana was one of the main states that housed the great American Gold Rush in the 1800’s, and with the gold rush came traditional forms of gambling such as poker and blackjack. However, in 1889 all forms of gambling were made illegal in Montana and it has been a slow crawl back to legalizing popular forms of gambling again.

On this page we will discuss the current gambling landscape in the Big Sky State as well as letting you know the Montana gambling age that to each form of legal wagering. We will also discuss the history of the industry in Montana as well as giving you some insight into any future legal developments down the line.

In the table above you can find the legal gambling ages for Montana, as you can see there is a blanket legal gambling age of 18 which is universal across all forms of legal gambling in Montana. If there isn’t an age underneath a form of gambling in the table then it is illegal.

In the sections below we will analyze each form of popular gambling in detail, as well as discussing the legal gambling age for each form of legalized gambling. We will also talk about what each form of legalized gambling offers, and the options players have when playing in Montana.

Casino Age in Montana

It seems at odds with Montana’s gold rush history that it took so long to embrace casino gambling. Under the governance of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, Montana began to enter into compacts with local Indian tribes to allow for the tribes to open casinos on their tribal lands. There are now seven tribes who have compacts with Montana State, these tribal compacts allow for 13 casinos – the Casino Age in Montana is 18.

Under the compacts with each tribe casinos are limited to only offering Class III electronic games, there are no traditional table games on offer at any of Montana’s land-based tribal casinos. It is also interesting to note that under the tribal compacts none of the tribes are required to share any revenue with the state and instead all revenue is kept by the tribes to help fund tribal infrastructure.

It is interesting that while Montana was quite late to the party when it comes to legalizing land-based casino gambling it set the legal casino gambling age to 18, which is low compared to other neighboring states. Most states in the US set their casino age limit to 21, which mirrors the US’s universal legal drinking age. The legal casino age in Montana is 21 because most casino’s serve alcohol on site.

What are The Casinos In Montana that Accept 18 Year Olds?

All casinos in Montana accept 18 year olds. Under the tribal compacts local tribes have signed with Montana state the tribes are able to set their own entry age so long as it is above the age of 18. So no Montana based tribal casino misses out on any potential casino visitor they have all set their entry age to 18.

Residents of Montana can also enjoy several other forms of gambling from the age of 18 as it is the universal legal gambling age in Montana. All forms of legal gambling including bingo, state lottery, pari-mutuel betting and now sports betting only require participants be 18 years and older to get involved.

To help make it easier for you to locate the top eight 18+ casinos in Montana we have pulled together a list of the addresses of the top and most popular casinos below.

Sports Betting In Montana

The most recent form of gambling to be legalizing in Montana is Sports Betting. The Big Sky State has a mixed history with sports betting. When the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed in 1992, Montana was one of four states that was grandfathered in – meaning that it did not need to abide by the federal ban PASPA applied to all forms of sports betting. However, in a bizarre twist Montana did not legalize sports betting and instead waited until PASPA was repealed in 2018 to legalize sports betting in 2019.

Like all other forms of legalized gambling in Montana the legal betting age residents need to be to participate in sports betting is 18. Under the new laws passed in 2019 it is Montana’s state lottery that is authorized to run sports betting across the state. However, residents in Montana are yet to reap the benefits of legalized sports betting yet as the infrastructure to facilitate sports betting still needs to be installed by the state lottery across the state.

The goal was to have all sports betting facilities up and running by September 2020 in time for the 2020 football season, however due to the Covid-19 global pandemic it is likely that this timeline will be pushed back. Contained within the nuances of the Bill that legalized sports betting were clauses that legalize online mobile sports betting, but there are restrictions placed on this that mean mobile betting can only take place within the four walls of registered sports betting locations.

One slightly different form of sports wagering that has been legal in Montana for decades is pari-mutuel betting on horse races. Again, like all forms of gambling in Montana residents only need to be 18 to participate in pari-mutuel betting. The betting can only take place at registered off track betting locations in Montana or at racetracks themselves, where both live races and simulcast races take place.

Montana Online Gambling Age

Online gambling is unfortunately illegal in Montana. Like many other intermountain states, Montana has taken a strong stance against online casino gambling. All forms of online casino gambling are banned and do not look like they will be made legal anytime soon.

With many states baulking against legalizing online casino gambling due to public interest groups lobbying against its legalization, and the overall federal uncertainty as to its legality due to mixed interpretation of the Federal Wire Act, Montana is towing the party line when it comes to keeping online gambling illegal.

While residents in Montana might be able to access offshore casino gambling sites it is probably not in their best interest to use them. While these offshore sites do offer most popular casino games to those 18 and older, they are not registered in the US and therefore players who use them will not be covered by any US or state consumer protection laws. Further, as online casino gambling is illegal in Montana any individual caught gambling on an offshore gambling site could be prosecuted for doing so.

The act of legalizing online gambling would also require Montana state to repeal several acts of legislation and acts in the state’s constitution, as well as garnering enough public support to make it worth the states legislatures while to undergo such major legal change. As many residents live close enough to bricks and mortar casinos, there doesn’t seem to be a massive movement amongst them to legalize online gambling. Therefore, it looks like online casino gambling will stay illegal in Montana for the near future.

To see a full list of activities that are legal in the state, and the minimum Montana gambling age associated with each take a look at our easy to read gambling ages table at the top of this page.

Online Poker/Poker Gambling Age

Along with all other forms of online gambling, online poker is illegal in Montana. However, poker fans should not give up hope of being able to play their favorite game in the Big Sky State – poker rooms have been legal in the state for several decades.

The legal gambling age for playing poker in Montana is 18, and players can find over 150 card rooms which offer poker and other non-house backed card games across the state. Card rooms were legalized in Montana in 1973 alongside bingo and raffles. Card rooms are able to exist so long as they don’t offer any house backed card games or take a stake in the game itself.

While card rooms and poker itself are definite favorites amongst Montana locals as they are so easily accessible across the state there is no major push to legalize online poker any time soon, therefore it will most likely remain illegal for a while longer.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports occupies a unique position in gambling law across the US with states taking a mixed approach to defining its legality or illegality. In a somewhat controversial move Montana has taken a strong stance on Daily Fantasy Sports and declared it illegal in the Big Sky State.

With only nine states declaring Daily Fantasy Sports illegal in the US, Montana is certainly in the minority. The majority of other states have in fact not made a ruling on the legality/illegality of Daily Fantasy Sports, instead they have chosen leave it to languish in a grey area of implied legality.

Things might be looking up for fans of Daily Fantasy Sports in Montana, with the recent passing of a bill that legalized sports betting Montana’s state legislature might be warming to the idea of online sports gambling, and could potentially look to repeal the laws the outlaw Daily Fantasy Sports – however, there have been no overt discussions or moves to revert the laws to date.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Montana

Montana has had a state lottery in play since 1986 and it has proved itself vastly popular amongst the state’s residents. The minimum age to participate in the state lottery in Montana is 18 and the lottery is run and administered by the Montana Lottery Commission.

With all lottery fan favourites available to play including Mega Millions, Powerball and Lucky for Life alongside unique Montana only games such as Big Sky Bonus Progressive and Montana Millionaire there are plenty of games for residents to choose from. Like all other state lotteries across the US all revenues that are raised through the lottery are invested in state infrastructure.

One area in which the Montana state lottery has not diversified is an online lottery. With Montana’s general aversion to all forms of online gambling this doesn’t look like it will be changing any time soon

Montana Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Montana’s state gambling laws are entrenched in the states legislature and constitution under which gambling is defined as ‘”Gambling” or “gambling activity” means risking any money, credit, deposit, check, property, or other thing of value for a gain that is contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, or the operation of a gambling device or gambling enterprise.’ Under this definition all forms of popular gambling could be considered illegal.

In order to have an exemption to the blanket illegality of gambling in Montana, each form of legal gambling has had its own law passed which advocates for each forms legality and therefore trumping the blanket illegality.

The gambling market in Montana may not seem as healthy as other states when comparing cash values generated, but when considered in relation to the state’s population it is very healthy. In 2019 Montana’s tribal casinos created a $55.3 million economic footprint. Further the state lottery has been able to invest billions in state infrastructure since its inception in 1986.

Gambling winnings in Montana are considered personal income and are therefore taxed at an individual’s personal income tax rate at the end of each fiscal year. The only exception to this is the state lottery which has both a federal and state tax applied to any winnings above $5,000 the combined rate of these two taxes totals 31.9% – one of the highest lottery tax rates across the US.

The current outlook of gambling in Montana is a positive one, there are several popular forms of legal gambling in the state which are enjoyed by the state’s residents. With the recent move to legalize sports betting, Montana has further opened up the gambling landscape which should pay dividends in both enjoyment from Montana sports fans and in the revenue it will generate for the state.

In terms of future gambling developments, the logical next step for Montana would be to legalize online gambling. However, there doesn’t seem to be any major impetus for the state to move its popular forms of gambling online. Montana residents still seem to enjoy travelling to bricks and mortar casinos, racetracks and card rooms to wager and until that changes the state will probably keep the status quo of online gambling being considered illegal.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has provided you with a good introduction to Montana’s gambling laws including the Montana gambling age. If you have any outstanding questions about anything you have read above please take a look at the answers to our most frequently asked questions below. Check out our guide the US gambling age by state at our homepage.