The legal drinking age is 17 in most states, but there is no such thing as a legal gambling age in many places. In fact, there are only three states in the United States where commercial gambling is illegal. However, there are some exceptions, like the state of Nevada, where a 21-year-old is permitted to play.
As a general rule, the lottery is not something a minor would be interested in. There is a lottery of sorts in Maryland, but it is not for the faint of heart. Although the state has a lottery, it does not have any casinos or slot machines. Hence, it may be the only state in the country that hasn’t been able to benefit from the growth of gaming.
The Minnesota lottery has two divisions. One of these is the largest lottery in the state, but it does not sell tickets to minors. Similarly, the state’s pari-mutuel gambling is limited to people 18 and up. And while the state’s minimum wager may not be as low as you think, the fines are steep.
On the plus side, the state has some of the best poker rooms and poker machines in the country. And while there aren’t many land-based casinos in the state, there is one in New Orleans. The state has also done the right thing by allowing online poker to be played, despite the fact that many players aren’t residents of the state.
There are also many other types of gambling, including sports betting, casino games, and bingo. Most of these are strictly off-track betting operations, run by private companies. If you do not mind spending a few bucks, you can try your luck at one of the Virgin Islands’ casinos. But be warned, these are some of the most exclusive casinos in the world.
The state of Louisiana has the state lottery, plus it has the nation’s first urban land-based casino. Aside from casinos, the state also boasts video poker machines in virtually every truck stop in the state, including those on highways with no drivers in sight. Another gimmick is the state’s “state-of-the-art” esports facility. That’s not to say the state is ignoring sports, of course. It’s just that the state hasn’t seen fit to incorporate sports into its lottery program.
On the other hand, the state of Vermont has a relatively complicated system for dealing with underage lottery players. Unlike the Minnesota lottery, Vermont does not allow adults to buy lottery tickets for their kids. Instead, the state limits the amount of money that a minor can spend on a ticket to the minimum. While this rule is not as clear-cut as it sounds, it is a definite improvement over the state’s previous practices.
Of course, there are other jurisdictions that come up short in the lotto department. North Dakota, for example, has no state-wide lottery, and has a handful of other types of gambling. Likewise, the Virgin Islands began formal steps to legalize casinos in 1995.