INSIDECASINO.USInsideCasino.us may earn a commission when you visit a casino through a link on this site. It never changes a score: see how we score. Not legal advice. 21+ only.
Who decides the gambling age at a casino?
For a commercial casino, state law sets the minimum age. For a tribal casino, the age is usually written into the tribe's compact with the state, and it can change when the compact is amended. So two casinos in the same state can have different minimum ages.
What do real compacts and laws say?
Each row below comes from the compact or law itself:
| Casino or tribe | State | Minimum age | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lummi Nation | Washington | 18 | Players aged 18 to 20 may not buy or drink alcohol. Nobody under 21 may be in the gaming area if alcohol is served there. Amendment approved December 20, 2021 |
| White Earth Band | Minnesota | 18 | For video games of chance, under the 1991 compact |
| Standing Rock Sioux Tribe | North Dakota and South Dakota | 18 | Under the 1992 compact as signed |
| Crow Creek Sioux Tribe | South Dakota | 21 | Under the 1993 compact as signed. Employees may be 18 |
| All casinos | Nevada | 21 | State law, Nevada Revised Statutes section 463.350 |
Compacts can be amended after they are signed. This table shows what each document says, not the current age at every casino.
Why might an 18+ casino still turn you away?
Alcohol is the usual reason. The Lummi Nation's amendment lets 18- to 20-year-olds play only if they do not buy or drink alcohol, and it keeps anyone under 21 out of a gaming area where alcohol is served. A casino can allow 18-year-olds in one area and not another.
Can you play at a licensed online casino at 18?
Online casino ages are set by law in each of the seven states that license online casinos. In New Jersey the minimum age is 21. Each state page lists the minimum age where we could confirm it from a state source.
How do you check a casino's minimum age before you go?
Three checks take a few minutes:
- Read the age policy on the casino's own website, or call the casino.
- For a tribal casino, read the tribe's compact with the state. Compacts are public documents, and the US Department of the Interior publishes approved compacts.
- Bring photo ID, because casinos check age at the door or on the gaming floor.
What are the rules in your state?
Each state sets its own online casino rules. Pick a state to see its status, its regulator and the date we last checked it.
Read next: Casinos in Texas
Sources
Checked November 6, 2026. Regulator rules were read through the sources listed, and they can change. How we research.
- U.S. Department of the Interior: approval of the Lummi Nation compact amendment on gambling age (December 20, 2021)
- White Earth Band and State of Minnesota: tribal-state compact for video games of chance (1991)
- Standing Rock Sioux Tribe: tribal-state gaming compact (1992)
- Crow Creek Sioux Tribe: tribal-state gaming compact (1993)
- Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 463, section 463.350: gaming prohibited for persons under 21