When picking a safe US sports betting site, one of the first factors you need to consider is age. Each state sets its own betting age, although there are some that don’t have any age laws. In those cases, you have to go by the age set by the site. Make sure you follow the law, though, because you could get in some major trouble if you engage in underage betting. The repercussions, at minimum, could be loss of funds or getting banned from the site. It could be much worse, though. You could be prosecuted, fined and/or jailed. If you’re careful and follow the law, you will have no problems.
If you’re over 21, you’re in the clear. However, if you are not 21, you need to carefully consider the age law set by your state of residence. In most states, the legal betting age is in the ballpark of 18 to 21. Alabama is the only state that sets the legal betting age at 19. In some states (Florida, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, Utah, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia), there is no set betting age. For these nine states, you will be fine as long as you are over 18.
More: State Laws for Betting
As mentioned before, the age laws vary from state to state. You may live in a state that doesn’t have any age laws, like Florida or Hawaii, in which case you would need to be 18 because that’s how old the US online sportsbooks require you to be. Most states set the betting age at 21. Only two states allow land-based sports betting, and those are Nevada and Delaware.
If it weren’t for the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), states would be able to regulate betting age. PASPA is the federal law that effectively banned sports betting in 46 states. A few states that had allowed sports betting before PASPA was enacted were allowed one year to come up with legislation to legitimize sports betting. Only Nevada and Delaware took advantage of this legislation. As it stands, age laws vary from state to state. Just make sure you are old enough to bet with an online sportsbook, and you’ll be fine.
You are required to be at least 18 to use an online sportsbook. However, if your state law says you need to be older, go by the state law. The legal age is always going to be the higher number, either online age requirement or state law. For example, if a sports betting site asks that you be 18 years old but your state law says you have to be 21, then 21 is how old you have to be to use the sportsbook in most cases, however different websites have different rules. Be sure you follow this rule or otherwise you could be breaking the law. If your state law doesn’t set an age, then defer to the site’s posted age of 18.
There are any number of penalties you could face for underage sports betting. You could be kicked off the site and forfeit all of your winnings. It could be much worse, though. You could be prosecuted and face heavy fines and even jail time. This is why it is so important to make sure you are complying with all of your state’s age laws. If you are caught engaging in underage sports betting at a land-based sportsbook, the penalties are similar. You could be kicked out of the casino, have your winning seized, be fined, or face jail time.
We have looked at the age requirements of both online and land-based sportsbooks. We’ve gone over state versus federal age laws, PASPA, and we’ve outlined some of the penalties you could face if you participate in an underage betting. The long and the short of it is, make sure you know what your state law says on the matter. Now that that’s out of the way, we’ve cherry picked some fresh and legal US betting sites for your betting enjoyment.
One great online sportsbook for US players is BetOnline. This site is one of the most user-friendly online sportsbooks we’ve found. Everything is designed for maximum efficiency. All of the various games and sports are right there for all to see. No muss, no fuss. A list of payment methods is listed at the bottom left-hand corner. Many major media monopolies have lauded the site. You can rest assured that BetOnline is a trusted and respected online sportsbook
The minimum age requirement for BetOnline is 18. However, remember that some states set a higher age requirement. If you live in Alabama, for example, you have to be at least 19 to use the site. Most states set the age requirement at 21. There are 9 states (Hawaii, Kentucky, Alaska, Tennessee, Virginia, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, and the District of Columbia) that have no set age restrictions. If you live in one of these states, the minimum betting age is 18 as dictated by the site.