Guide to Nevada Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

Internationally renowned as the heart of world-wide gambling the gambling laws of Nevada might be surprising to some. While commercial and tribal land-based casinos can be found in abundance in Nevada the state still has some restrictions on online gambling, and most surprisingly does not have a state-wide lottery.

Alongside the surprising restrictions on forms of gambling in NV, the Nevada gambling age on all forms of legalized gambling in the state. Casinos, sports betting, bingo, pari-mutual betting and online poker all require that players be above the age of 21 to participate.

In the table above we have outlined the legal gambling ages for each form of gambling that is legal in Nevada, as you can see Nevada has a blanket legal gambling age of 21. If there isn’t an age underneath a gambling type listed in the table then it is probably illegal in the Silver State. Readers should note that Daily Fantasy Sports, while not completely illegal in Nevada, has an interesting history that predates its implied illegal status – we will go into more detail about this later on this page.

We will also discuss the legality of each form of popular gambling in Nevada as well as giving you some insight into the history of gambling in Nevada, the home of modern gambling. Alongside giving you an insight into gambling legality, we will also discuss Nevada’s currently gambling market and any potential legal changes that might be on the horizon.

Casino Age in Nevada

As the home of modern casino gambling as well as being the home of the world-famous Las Vegas strip, Nevada is home to the largest number of land based casinos of any state in the US. With a combined number of 217 commercial and tribal land casinos, over 50% of which are located in Las Vegas, Nevada really is the home of modern commercial casino gambling.

The legal gambling age and casino age in Nevada is 21, the same entry age is universal across all commercial casinos operating in the state. While Nevada does have a reputation of being incredibly forward thinking when it comes to gambling, it was the first state to legalize commercial casinos in 1931, it still remains relatively conservative when it comes to the legal Nevada gambling age.

Nevada most likely has the legal casino gambling age set to 21 as 21 is also the legal drinking age in the US. As all commercial casinos in Nevada are able to serve complimentary drinks on site it makes sense that the entry age should mirror the drinking age so that way the casinos do not get into any trouble for serving underage minors.

As Nevada already has the most liberal approach and long history with commercial casino gambling there isn’t any immediate need for gambling reform. There is also full support from Nevada’s resident community, so Nevada State doesn’t have any push from the wider community to change anything anytime soon.

What are The Casinos In Nevada that accept 18 year Olds?

There are no casinos in Nevada that accept 18 year olds. The universal legal Nevada gambling age is 21 for all forms of gambling including casinos, pari mutual betting, sports betting, bingo and online poker. While Nevada is often thought of as a liberal state for gambling, as mentioned earlier it is still very conservative when it comes to its legal gambling age.

For those over the age of 21 and are wanting to gamble at a commercial casino, we have pulled together a list of the eight most popular casinos in Nevada and put their addresses in so you can find them yourself.

Sports Betting In Nevada

In another first for Nevada, it was the first state to legalize sports betting in 1949. It makes sense that Nevada would embrace sports betting fully as it is home to several major league franchises such as the Vegas Golden Knights and the WNBA team Las Vegas Aces. Since legalizing sports betting decades ago Nevada enjoyed a successful sports betting industry, which has grown exponentially after the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was repealed in 2018 and Nevada legalized online sports betting.

The legal gambling age for all forms of sports betting in Nevada is 21, again sticking with Nevada’s conservative approach to gambling ages. Seen as the market leader in US sports betting Nevada is regularly used by other states as an example of how to adopt sports betting, and more recently online sports betting.

With advancements in technology and the repealing of PASPA Nevada has embraced online sports betting with full fervor allowing residents from across the state the opportunity to bet on their favorite sports teams from the comfort of their own homes.

As Nevada has already embraced all forms of modern sports betting, and these forms are still continuing to grow in popularity and show incredible revenue returns for the state, there aren’t any new sports betting laws in the pipeline.

Nevada Online Gambling Age

One of the oddities in Nevada’s gambling laws is that online casino gambling is illegal in the Silver State. As the home to Sin City, the most popular casino gambling destination in the world it does seem incredibly counter-intuitive that the same state would not legalize online gambling as there is obviously a very hungry casino gambling market that could be tapped into.

However, once you take a look behind the scenes of commercial casino gambling in Nevada, and especially the commercial interests in Las Vegas, it makes a lot of sense as to why online gambling is not legal in the Silver State.

There are several powerful commercial interests operating within Nevada that would see huge negative economic impact if online casino gambling was legalized. Online gambling would most likely see a lot of business be taken away from traditional bricks and mortar casinos, which would not only impact the owners of the casinos but also the wider economic eco-system that depends on Nevada’s land-based casino industry for survival.

While online casino gambling is illegal in the Silver State, there are still a few forms of online gambling that residents of Nevada can enjoy, as mentioned above online sports betting is legal in Nevada; and fans of the casino classic are able to enjoy online poker as this is also legal – we will discuss online poker in more detail in the section below.

Nevada residents who desperately want to gamble at a casino online might be able to access offshore gambling websites from within the Silver State’s borders. While these sites could seem appealing, they do also have their detractors. Most importantly, as they are offshore websites, they are not registered or licensed in the US. Therefore, the US has no governance over them, and players gambling on them have no recourse to US consumer protection laws should anything go wrong.

Players who are adamant that they want to gamble at a casino online are probably best placed to take a trip to a state in the US where online casino gambling is legal such as New Jersey or Delaware. For those who want to remain in Nevada check out our gambling ages table at the top of this page to see what forms of gambling are legal and available to enjoy in the Silver State.

Online Poker/Poker Gambling Age

As mentioned above online poker is legal in Nevada, as are poker rooms which can be found at most land-based casinos in Nevada. In line with all other gambling ages in Nevada, the legal gambling age for all forms of poker is 21.

In 2013 online poker was legalized in Nevada and it fast became a state favorite. In a revolutionary move Nevada grouped together with New Jersey and Delaware to form a pool of states in which residents are able to play online poker together across state borders. Not only was this move revolutionary in that it was the first-time online gambling was opened up across state borders, but it also increased online pokers popularity as it gave residents of all three states more tournaments and individuals to play.

As Nevada is already the industry leader when it comes to online and land-based poker there doesn’t seem to be any need or want for further legislative advancement in this area.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports has a checkered past in Nevada. When Daily Fantasy Sports first launched in the early 2000’s it was available in most states across the US including Nevada. However this all changed in 2015 when the Nevada Gaming Control (NGC) declared that as Daily Fantasy Sports was a form of sports betting it was operating in the state illegally as the operators were not registered and therefore not licensed to operate.

Since the 2015 declaration all Daily Fantasy Sports operators have pulled out of Nevada, effectively meaning that Daily Fantasy Sports is all but illegal in the Silver State. While over the past few years there have been discussions between the major Daily Fantasy Sports operators and Nevada state about trying to reach a compromise regarding registration in the state, there has been no luck in reaching any such compromise.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Nevada

Another interesting idiosyncrasy in Nevada’s gambling laws is that there is no lottery. The majority of states in the US do have state run lotteries, but unfortunately for Nevada residents the Silver State is not one of them. Not having a state lottery in the home state of modern gambling does really seem at odds with Nevada’s worldwide reputation.

Residents of Nevada who are desperate to play the lottery still can do so if they pass state lines and purchase a ticket in one of the neighboring states such as California for the California State Lottery. Residents should note that they do have to physically cross state lines to purchase a ticket in order for it to be a legal purchase, they cannot purchase tickets for another states lottery online all tickets must be purchased in person.

Much like online casino gambling it is powerful commercial interests that are keeping a Nevada State Lottery from becoming a reality. However, as there are so many commercial casinos and various forms of sports betting to keep residents who are fans of gambling happy, there doesn’t seem to be any major issue with there being no state lottery for now.

Nevada Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Nevada’s gambling laws can be found in the state’s legislation under code 463.010. Under this code gambling is defined as ‘Dealing, operating, carrying on, or exposing for play any game’. Under certain criminal codes illegal gambling is further defined in express detail as to what acts constitute illegal gambling, while all forms of legal gambling are expressly legislated for under code 463.010, this includes land-based casino gambling, sports betting, bingo, online poker and pari-mutuel betting.

Nevada has the largest gambling market in the whole of the US and is second only to Macau worldwide. In 2019 alone the commercial casinos operating within Nevada’s state borders made a $55.96 billion economic footprint. Through taxes placed on each form of gambling legalized in the state, Nevada is able to raise a huge amount of money to fund state initiatives and infrastructure.

Gambling winnings in Nevada are considered personal income. Therefore, any winnings made in the borders of Nevada must be declared on an individual’s personal tax return each year and from there the winnings will then be taxed at the individuals personal tax rate. However, when winnings exceed $5,000 players must cough up 25% in tax.

Currently the outlook for gambling in Nevada remains a positive as ever. In the past financial year the economic impact of gambling grew by 3% and is continuing on the upward trend as more and more people embrace the newest form of legalized gambling, online sports betting. While some neighboring states might be liberalizing their gambling laws in an attempt to capture part of Nevada’s gambling market, the pulling star power of the Las Vegas Casino strip isn’t waning any time soon.

The one area which gambling observers are watching keenly is online casino gambling. However, due to the powerful commercial interests who are keen to keep online gambling illegal for as long as possible, change in this area is unlikely to take place any time soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has provided you with a good insight into the gambling landscape in the home of modern gambling, Nevada. If you still have any questions regarding the legal gambling age or legal standing of any form of popular gambling in the Silver State, take a look below at our answers to the most commonly asked questions. For more state guides, head over to our guide to America’s legal casino and sports betting ages.