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

Oregon, known for its Wild West history, has some of the most liberal gambling laws in the US. The Beaver State, as it is most commonly known as, is leading the way amongst the Pacific Northwest states by not only legalizing in-person casino games but also legalizing online sports betting and allowing Daily Fantasy Sports to operate within its borders. While it is known for being a progressive state, the legal Oregon gambling age is 21+ for most activities.

In the table above we have outlined the legal gambling age is for each form of legal wagering allowed in Oregon. the legitimate age for casino games, poker rooms, and sports betting is 21. whereas, the legal age for bingo, lottery, Daily Fantasy Sports, and pari-mutuel betting is 18. if there is no age included below a form of real money activities then that form is most likely illegal in Oregon.

In the sections below on this page, we will go into further detail about each form of popular gaming and its legal status in Oregon. For all forms of legal wagering, we will let you know the legal gambling age required to participate as well as they shun you know what options you have to participate in this form of gaming. We will also discuss the history of gambling in Oregon and offer insight into any upcoming legal reform that relates to playing in the state.

Casino Age in Oregon

Oregon is home to 10 tribal casinos, tribal casinos have been in operation within the Beaver state since the early 90s. Tribal casinos have operated across the US since 1988 when the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act made it legal for four Native American tribes to build casinos on tribal lands. The legal gambling age or casino age in Oregon is 21.

Oregon State has entered into tribal-state compacts with nine local Native American tribes, these compacts govern the running of tribal casinos within Oregon State borders. under the compacts local tribes are allowed to offer Class III casino games, this includes traditional table casino games, traditional card games and electronic gaming machines such as slots.

There have been a few attempts over the years to legalize commercial casino gambling however these have all failed. The most recent attempt, undertaken in 2012, resulted and it’s 70% of those voting rejecting the proposal of legalizing a commercial casino in Oregon. this result sent a clear message to Oregon’s legislature that while the residents are happy with tribal casinos in operation, opening up the state two commercial gambling is not a development the public supports.

The legal Oregon gambling age for casinos as likely set to 21 as this is also the legal drinking age across the US. Many tribal casinos in Oregon serve alcohol, although not complimentary, to casino visitors and having a casino gambling age that mirrors the legal drinking age loves casinos to avoid any potential issues that may arise from mistakenly serving alcohol to underage minors.

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

There are no casinos in Oregon that allow entry to 18-year-olds . The legal gambling age for casinos in Oregon is 21. however, 18-year-olds can still enjoy a few forms of betting in the Beaver state including; bingo, lottery, Daily Fantasy Sports, and pari-mutuel betting.

For those above the age of 21 who wish to gamble at a casino in Oregon, we’ve pulled together the names and addresses of eight of the state’s most popular tribal casinos and included them in the table below.

Sports Betting In Oregon

While not necessarily known as the most sports-crazy state in the US, Oregon has been quick to adopt sports betting after the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992 (PASPA) in 2018. where most states have been slow on the uptake, Oregon legalized sports betting in 2019 less than a year after PASPA was repealed by the Supreme Court.

Oregon sports betting laws, which were enshrined in the state legislature in August 2019, allows the state lottery to manage all legal forms of sports betting. The legal gambling age for sports betting in Oregon is 21. In a reversal of the traditional methods of rolling out a new form of gaming, mobile sports betting was made available first in order to catch the end of the 2019 NFL season. Since then Mobile sports betting has become a fast favorite amongst Oregon’s residents who gamble due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the rollout of in-person sports betting facilities has been delayed, however, there is hope these will be in place in the second half of 2020.

Another form of sports betting that has been available for Oregon residents for decades is pari-mutuel betting on either horse racing or dog racing. Oregon is still home to several dog and horse racetracks. All licensed racetracks allow for betting on site, there are also several off-track beating locations across the state as well as Internet and mobile facilities for remote betting and advanced deposit betting.

One final form of sports betting available to Oregon residents is Daily Fantasy Sports. We will discuss Daily Fantasy Sports in more detail in its own section located further down on this page.

Oregon Online Gambling Age

As discussed in the section above mobile/online sports betting is legal in Oregon – The legal gambling age to participate in online sports betting is 21. However, in an unusual move four states that are known for liberal gaming laws, Oregon Has specifically legislated to declare online casino games illegal within its borders.

Oregon’s online sports betting his managed by the state lottery who in partnership with the scoreboard facilitate the sports beds via the scoreboard app. after setting up an account on this app players are able to play bets on a huge range of sports such as football, basketball, hockey, table tennis and everything in between. The app also allows for live betting and betting on virtual sports as well. It’s no wonder Oregon’s residents have taken to online sports betting with such fervor.

Oregon is one of the only states across the US that has explicitly labeled online casino gambling as illegal. As the current tribal casino industry is very healthy, it can be assumed that the local Native American tribes welcome Oregon’s ban on casino games as this ensures their monopoly on casinos within the state remains intact. further, as Oregon has already demonstrated that they have little appetite for a commercial casino industry it doesn’t look like the ban on online casino gambling will be reversed anytime soon.

Oregon residents may have noticed that they can still access offshore online gambling websites within the state. However, residents should be warned about using these websites for various reasons. Firstly, as these websites are operated by offshore entities they are not registered or licensed within the US – this means that should players encounter any issues with the operators they would have no recourse against them under US consumer protection laws. Secondly, as online casino gambling is illegal within Oregon anyone caught doing so could be prosecuted.

Poker Gambling Age

As you have probably guessed online poker is illegal in Oregon, As online poker is classed as a form of online casino gambling In accordance with state legislation. However, the state’s legislation only blocks players from gambling for real money online – so fans of poker can play online social games so long as there is no real cash up for grabs.

For those who like to play for real money, in person poker is legal in Oregon for those above the age of 21. Players are able to play at many of the state’s tribal casinos or licensed cardrooms. licensed cardrooms are able to operate across Oregon And offer traditional non house packed casino card games so long as the house makes no profit from any game being played within its four walls.

Daily Fantasy Sports

As mentioned earlier, Oregon residents have access to Daily Fantasy Sports. However, Daily Fantasy Sports is not expressly legal nor is it expressly illegal in Oregon. Instead, Daily Fantasy Sports operates in a very grey area of the law, with many operators arguing that it has implied legality. The implied legality operators argue is that as Daily Fantasy Sports is again of skill and not chance it is not governed by state gambling laws.

Under its implied legality, Daily Fantasy Sports allows players 18 years and older to participate in Oregon. There have been attempts to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports within the Beaver state, the most recent was in 2017 when a bill was introduced to Oregon’s legislature which outlines a way in which Daily Fantasy Sports could be regulated and legalized within the state. The Bell progressed to a public hearing in 2017 however it has not progressed since.

While little has moved since 2017, the advent of sports betting being legalized within Oregon last year could prove to be the impetus for the state legislature to renew discussions about Daily Fantasy Sports legality.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Oregon

Oregon has had a state lottery in play for several decades now, the lottery was first legalized in 1984 and the first lottery tickets and scratch-off games we’re sold the following year. the legal gambling age for participating in the state lottery in Oregon is 18 years old.

The state lottery is run by the Oregon Lottery, who manage the day-to-day running of the lottery foundation As well as helping it to distribute lottery revenue amongst state institutions, infrastructure, and initiatives. To date, the state lottery has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for state-funded institutions.

While Oregon State lottery offers mini local and multijurisdictional games, it is yet to diversify into an online lottery. However, as the state lottery has recently taken on the management of mobile sports betting and across Oregon It could soon also see the benefit in diversifying the state lottery offering to also including mobile and online ticket pitch seeing options.

Oregon Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Oregon’s state gambling laws can be found within the state’s legislature under Oregon statutes 167 and 462. Under these two statutes real money gaming is defined as, ‘staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or future contingent event not under the control of actor, upon agreement that actor would receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome’. Under this definition all legal forms of gambling we have discussed on this page allowed within Oregon could be considered governed by these laws.

In certain cases where forms of gaming have been legalized or made illegal, the state legislature has either amended current state gambling laws or, as was the case with sports betting, the state has ratified new statutes that act as exceptions to established gambling laws.

The gambling market in Oregon Is thriving. In 2019 tribal casinos across the state made an economic impact of over $1 billion. The state lottery also contributed hundreds of millions of dollars through the sales of lottery tickets ends in the second half of 2019 through the large amount of sports wages that were placed once mobile sports betting was taken live.

There are taxes applied to gamble winnings in Oregon, as they are considered personal income, and individuals are required to declare any winnings made from betting as such. Gambling winnings are being taxed at each individual’s personal income tax rate. Specific forms of wagering such as lottery also have additional federal taxes placed on winnings. Any winning above $5000 has a 25% federal tax placed on it along with an additional 8% state tax.

Currently the gambling outlook for Oregon looks positive. Through the introduction of sports betting in 2019, The Oregon gambling market was opened up to a wider range of punters through the adoption of mobile sports betting.

In terms of future legal development, Oregon State looks reluctant to adopt any further gambling law innovations. the only area that could potentially be expanded is sports betting where the state may see the benefit and legalizing Daily Fantasy Sports after seeing the impact of legalized sports betting within the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has provided a good introduction To the status of gambling with an Oregon. Should you have any outstanding questions regarding any legal form of gaming in Oregon and the legal Oregon gambling age that is associated with it, take a look at the answers to the most frequently asked questions below.