Why Gambling Has an Age Limit in 2021

Image source: Jacklee., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Nowadays, the rules of both land-based and online casinos necessarily limit the age of visitors. In some institutions it is eighteen years old, in some it is twenty-one. However, since many casinos have moved to the Internet, the opinion has spread among players that this condition can not be adhered to and calmly violated. Sometimes the player's age just cannot be controlled through a computer monitor. Nevertheless, online casino rules strictly prohibit minors from visiting their sites. In this article, we will try to figure out why gambling has an age limit.

Gambling age restrictions in the USA

Until the mid-1960s, American society believed that an adult was 21 years of age. Indeed, this was spelled out in most state and federal laws. However, the outbreak of the Vietnam War prompted a revision of these laws. They sent minor Americans to their death, while they were not even allowed to vote. As a result of the 26th amendment to the US Constitution, they reduced the minimum age from which Americans could vote in elections to 18 years. As a consequence, they revised the age threshold  to determine the age of the majority. From that day onwards, a person who has reached the age of 18 becomes an adult. The dawn of the gambling industry came during this period. Therefore, many American lotteries, most of which appeared after 1971, are for people over 18 years old. In most states to this day, they consider adults to be people who have reached the age of 18. However, there is one significant exception: in all American states, the drinking age is 21 years old. Since many people associate gambling with alcohol, most states have found it necessary to increase the age for visiting the casinos to 21 years old. So why gambling has an age limit in online casinos in the USA?

Why gambling has an age limit: American legislation

In the states that offer casino gambling, the age ranges from 18 to 21. In most areas, players must reach 21 to participate. States have set age limits when legalizing gambling within their borders, and since most casinos offer the sale of alcohol, they limit age to 21 so that visitors can drink while indoors. Besides, they check the age upon entry to ensure that players are adults that can be on the playing field. However, with online gambling, the age range is 21. Many legislators across the US have raised the legal age limit for online lottery games to 18 and online casino games to 21. Indeed, legislators may decide to allow changes in the limit in the future. Therefore, if you are 21, do not hesitate to play games by visiting Bovada Casino. Meanwhile, if you are a minor, wait until you reach the legal age of gambling. Remember to gamble responsibly and enjoy your time to discover the various online casino games on offer. Besides, our Responsible Gambling Tips will help you avoid any addictions.

How EU and the CIS countries invite adults to gamble

In the EU and CIS countries, where the organization of gambling is free in certain zones or throughout the territory, there are age restrictions for players. Young people who are going to spend time in a gambling club need to know in advance if they can play. According to the results of several anonymous surveys of analytical companies , it was possible to find out that the majority of participants (over 70%) had their first experience of gambling as a teenager. Indeed, many people began to show interest in gambling for money in high school. Around that time, they tried different variations of card games. The problem that teenagers play for money was relevant before the advent of online gambling. And now there are many establishments on the Internet where you can make bets with real money. In the USSR, state lotteries were officially legal. However, in the "dashing 90s" clear prohibitions on the organization of gambling were dormant. Gambling remained uncontrolled for more than a decade until the new authorities put things in order in the legislation. In many countries of the former Soviet Union, casinos were completely illegal, or, as in the Russian Federation, they allowed their work only in special zones. Sometimes a misconception arises in the minds of a teenager that one can legally gamble after receiving a passport. This is not true. However, his full legal capacity begins from the age of 18. And in some countries from the 21st year. Although from the age of 18, a citizen has practically no restrictions on the exercise of his rights, in some EU and CIS countries, to visit a casino, one needs to celebrate three more birthdays.

Why gambling has an age limit online

To visit a land-based gambling establishment, a young man must show his passport and confirm his age. Meanwhile, to exclude playing for the money of underage players, the online casino verifies the user. To do this, the client sends a photo or scan of his documents to the mail indicated by the representative of the gambling establishment. Therefore, when registering at online casinos in the USA and creating a gambling account, you should be careful and enter your data without errors. Mandatory verification of the user's identity is important not only to establish the age of the player but also to comply with the requirements of organizations fighting against money laundering and terrorism. The lack of this procedure is one of the good reasons why the legislature is trying to restrict the operation of online casinos without verification. Of course, a minor user can cheat and ask an older brother or relative to register an account in a casino. However, then all responsibility rests with the person who agreed to help with access. Indeed, one should understand that a youngster does not yet realize the full danger of gambling. Even if the finances invested in the game are controlled in some way, since the replenishment of the gambling account goes through the details of the registered user, bets in online casinos at an early age can significantly affect the psychological level and very quickly develop a gambling addiction.

Kids and Slots: Where is the danger?

A juvenile gambler who is overly addicted to excitement in his youth, having reached the legal age threshold, will have a lot of problems. During that period of his life, when it is necessary to direct maximum efforts to obtaining education and creating the foundation for later life, he will begin to pay more attention to gambling, hoping that in this way he can get rich quickly by hitting the jackpot. In practice, young people get into debt. Later they try to get away from problems by using alcohol and drugs. However, only eventually they realize that the reason for everything is gambling. This is why gambling has an age limit. Some, having gained experience, use it in the future to consciously control their behavior during gambling. Meanwhile, others never get out of the debt hole, commit crimes and end their lives with a very sad outcome. Therefore, age restrictions are undoubtedly necessary. They make it possible to somehow isolate the younger generation from their early hobby for gambling. It often happens in regions where gambling is permitted by law. As for decentralized casinos for cryptocurrency, which positions themselves as opponents of verification, the developers of such resources also do not bother to think about how to exclude the participation of minors in the game. In addition to age restrictions, in some countries, for example, in Ukraine, there are registers of players who cannot  play. These can be gambling addicts who independently wrote an application to be present in this list or the restriction of admission was initiated by relatives. However, it comes into force only with the consent of the player himself. Learn more about Responsible Gambling Trust before visiting the Bovada Casino.

Why gambling has an age limit: How effective are the restrictions?

As statistics show, the largest number of people suffering from ludomania are at the age of 33-37 years. Many of them - about half - started gambling at a young age, a third at the age of 20-25. Moreover, less than 10% became addicted to betting when they were over 30. Meanwhile, at the age of 18, most young people are still studying in educational institutions and do not have personal income. 21 is the most acceptable age for admission to a card game table or online casinos in the USA if gambling is officially allowed in the country. However, at the same time, the player should already be aware of the full risk of such leisure. All responsibility for the decisions made falls only on him. At the same time, 21 is the age when you need to start to arrange your place in society. Therefore, gambling can seriously and permanently distract a young person from these tasks, creating a lot of unnecessary problems. However, if a player from an early age begins to show sanity and correctly distribute financial resources, then this trait can help him not only during gambling but also in other spheres of life. Read some Interesting Facts About Gambling 2021 and visit the Bovada Casino if you pass the age limit. Gamble responsibly!

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