Legal Gambling Ages By State To Be Able To Play Online Poker
Are you wondering what the legal gambling age is to play online poker? Well, you've have come to the right place. OnlinePokerLaws.com has everything you need to know when it comes to the age to legally play poker in the United States. So, how old do you need to be to play online, let's find out...
There is no Federal mandated law that defines a specific age to play poker online but with that said each state does have its own age requirement for games of skill/chance (gambling). States that have regulated poker rooms within their borders have specific ages set for playing poker and those generally cross-over to the online game as well. States without a specific age for poker usually go by a general all-around gambling age such as the age to purchase lottery tickets.
This all comes down to where you live but the good news is that you should be able to easily find "official" reference to what that age requirement is in your state. We have it here on our site but if you don't want to take our word for it, it should be easy to look up. In general, this age is either 18 or 21 years old.
As a side note, most online poker websites that accept Americans have their own age to sign up and play poker for real money or for practice. All the sites listed here on OnlinePokerLaws.com allow players that are at least 18 years old (age to legally obtain funding methods) to register for an account as do most other poker sites for USA players.
| What's The Legal Gambling Age To Play Online Poker??? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama - 21 | Indiana - 21 | Nebraska - 21 | South Carolina - 18 |
| Alaska - 18 | Iowa - 21 | Nevada - 21 | South Dakota - 21 |
| Arizona - 21 | Kansas - 18 | New Hampshire - 21 | Tennessee - 21 |
| Arknsas - 21 | Kentucky - 21 | New Jersey - 21 | Texas - 21 |
| California - 21 | Louisiana - 21 | New Mexico - 21 | Utah - 21 |
| Colorado - 21 | Maine - 18 | New York - 18 | Vermont - 18 |
| Connecticut - 21 | Maryland - 21 | North Carolina - 18 | Virginia - 21 |
| Delaware - 21 | Massachusetts - 21 | North Dakota - 21 | Washington - 18 |
| Florida - 21 | Michigan - 21 | Ohio - 21 | West Virginia - 21 |
| Georgia - 21 | Minnesota - 18 | Oklahoma - 18 | Wisconsin - 21 |
| Hawaii - 21 | Mississippi - 21 | Oregon - 21 | Wyoming - 18 |
| Idaho - 18 | Missouri - 21 | Pennsylvania - 21 | |
| Illinois - 21 | Montana - 21 | Rhode Island - 18 | |
How Old Do You Need To Be To Play Poker At Bovada?
Bovada requres that players be at least 18 years old or meet the minimum age to gamble as set by their state if that number is higher. That means if the age to play poker in your state is 21 years old, Bovada recommends that you be at least that age.
When going to sign up at Bovada, new users must check a box that signifies that they meet these requires. If you do not check the box, you will not be allowed to proceed with registration.
How Old Do You Need To Be To Play Poker At BetOnline?
When it comes to playing at BetOnline, they leave the minimum age requirements in the hands of the users. That means the user must make sure they meet the legal age to play poker for the state they live within.
In general, anyone who is at least 18 years old is allowed to join and play poker for real-money at the tables. But to cover all bases, they do defer to the state age rather than defining a minimum age to play online poker at BetOnline.
How Old Do You Need To Be To Play Poker At 5Dimes?
5Dimes poker room makes it very simple when you sign up as it clearly states the minimum age to gamble there is at least 18 years old. No reference is made to players meeting the minimum ages in their own individual U.S. states.
Furthermore, this 18 year old age requirement extends across all forms of gambling, not just online poker at 5Dimes, including sports wagering, horse betting and online casino play.
How Old Do You Need To Be To Play Poker At SportsBetting?
Sportsbetting.ag is another online poker room that simply defaults to whatever the age is to play poker in the state that the user lives in. This usually means 18 or 21 years old but some states do have some oddball numbers so be sure to check your local gambling statutes.
By deferring their users to their state's legal poker age, they are covering themselves however you should know that anyone that is at least 18 years old (the legal age to use deposit methods) will be accepted if they attempt to register at Sportsbetting.ag and deposit.
What is the penalty for not meeting the minimum age to play poker?
As far not being of age and playing online, nothing serious (S.W.A.T. isn't going to fly through the window or bust down the door) but know you will likely be denied payout and/or have your account suspended or terminated. You can lie about your age when you sign up and even get the consent of someone that has a credit, debit card, etc. but you will need to confirm your identity before you are allowed to withdrawal any funds in which case you will be exposed.
If you are underage and use someone's credit/debit card without their consent know that you are breaking some pretty serious laws and could be committing a felony. Your parents or friends might not prosecute you and they might even forgive you but it is definitely not worth the headache and it is definitely not worth losing a friend over... it is just better to wait until you can legally join and use poker deposit methods.
Even if you are 17 years and 362 days old, wait three more days or however long it takes until you at least meet the minimum age to play at whatever website you choose. A site is within its rights to look at the date of your registration, date of your deposit and your date of birth which would reveal that you were in fact underage at the time and therefore they could potentially suspend/terminate your account, declare all your deposits/winnings "null and void" and keep those funds for themselves if they really want to be strict.