Child Gambling Laws – Legal Gambling Age
This article will turn your attention to one of the most serious sides of gambling – the child gambling laws. We have listed the legal gambling age in many countries worldwide and shared details about the issues of the spreading of gambling addiction. Find out how old you have to be to gamble legally and how not to get addicted.
We will not list the different laws by country because they are many, and we will have to go into detail about the legislation of each country. Instead, we will tell you the legal gambling age in different countries and how different countries keep their children away from the betting sites. We listed several reasons why some children gamble and how to prevent it. Don’t miss reading the FAQ section at the end of the article.
Children Gambling Laws Worldwide
Almost every country has laws against child gambling as part of its main gambling regulation. The foundation of the regulations is the same everywhere, and that is to determine the age for legal gambling. All players below that age are “underage”, and the law prohibits them from gambling.
The underage gambling laws in different countries are upheld by the licensing authorities, judicial departments, child protection services, and other organisations. Before operators gain a licence, they must prove that they will let in only players meeting the legal standards. The different casinos and gaming rooms have policies and procedures like those:
| 🎰 Situation | Casino Policy & Procedure |
|---|---|
| 🎂 Legal Gambling Age | Players and visitors of the establishment must be informed what the legal gambling age is before entering or registering on the gambling site. |
| 🆔 Age Verification | The operator should perform age verification upon entrance, during registration (online), or whenever necessary. |
| 👶 Gamblers’ Toddlers & Children | Land-based operators must have informational signs with details about the legal gambling age and if players are allowed to bring their toddlers or children on the gaming floor. |
| 🔞 Underage Players | All underage players at brick-and-mortar casinos must be escorted out of the establishment’s premises or detained in a safe location until the arrival of the authorities or the parents (caregivers). |
| 💻 Online Underage Players | The operators of gambling sites can block access to the account if the verification does not prove the player is of legal age. |
| 🚓 Inform the Authorities | The operator must inform the authorities if an underage player or visitor is forced or lured to play. |
| 🚑 Health Hazard | In land-based gaming sites, if the underage player is incapacitated (because of drugs or alcohol) or sick for any other reason, the operator should seek medical assistance or immediately take the underage player to a hospital. |
| 🧸 No Children Games | Operators are prohibited from offering children’s casino games or betting entertainment for underage people. |
The situations listed above can easily be avoided with regular checks of the IDs of all visitors in the casinos. Just in case, the operators have similar policies. Usually, the underage gambling prevention laws go hand in hand with selling alcohol or illegal substances to minors and underage young people. That is why even if you don’t know the gambling law, you can still apply the age restriction for selling or drinking alcohol.
Legal Gambling Age
One of the main things considered in the child gambling laws is the legal gambling age monitored by government authorities like the UKGC, MGA, and more. There are countries with one age limitation for all wagering games. There are also countries like New Zealand, Canada, and the UK, where the gambling age is different for casinos, lotteries, horse races, and other games. Here are the age differences in different countries worldwide and according to the different games:
- 🎰 25 Years for All Gambling Games: Malta (for locals), Portugal (for locals)
- 🎰 23 Years for All Gambling Games: Greece
- 🎰 21 Years for All Gambling Games: Armenia, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, India, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Namibia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Taiwan, Vietnam, United States (varies by state)
- 🎲 21 Years for Casinos: Belgium, Estonia, Niger (some casinos), Philippines, Singapore, US Virgin Islands
- 🎰 20 Years for All Gambling Games: Japan, Nigeria
- 🎲 20 Years for Casinos: Sweden
- 🎰 19 Years for All Gambling Games: South Korea, United States (varies by state)
- 🎲 19 Years for Casinos: Canada (some provinces)
- 🎱 19 Years for Lotto/Betting: Canada (some provinces)
- 🎰 18 Years for All Gambling Games: 119 Countries Worldwide (Australia, Austria, Curacao, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, United States (varies by state), and more)
- 🎲 18 Years for Casinos: Canada (some provinces), Djibouti, Niger (some casinos), Portugal (for tourists)
- 🎱 18 Years for Lotto/Betting: Belgium, Brazil, Canada (some provinces), China, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, New Zealand
You will not find a child gambling law for Anguilla because the casinos became legal in 2022. It is best to research the laws in the country from where you intend to access the best online gambling sites. If you are just curious, keep reading because we are yet to list what draws children to betting games and how to prevent addiction.
Countries with No Gambling Age Limit
Antarctica has no gambling age limits or laws against child gambling except in the colonies.
Yet it’s not the only place which didn’t implement rules on it’s own.
The same goes for Afghanistan, Andorra, Antarctica, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Djibouti (non-casino wagering), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Mongolia, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Vatican City.
Countries Where Gambling Is Illegal
Every country’s child gambling law is part of the main gaming and gambling laws.
This means that if wagering is illegal for adults, it will also be illegal for children.
Here are the 26 countries worldwide where all betting or casino games are illegal:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Bahrain
- Brazil (casinos)
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei Darussalam
- China
- Cuba
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Indonesia
- Libya
- Malaysia (for Muslims)
- Maldives
- Marshal Islands
- Mauritania
- Pakistan
- Tokelau
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Thailand (casinos)
- UAE
- United States (varies by state)
It is strongly recommendable to avoid gambling in those countries. In most of them any form of wagering will get you in trouble with the law. The main religion in most of them is Islam, and anyone caught participating in betting will draw the attention of the religious organisations. While you are there, it is strongly advisable to cease all forms of wagering, even online.
Why Gambling Is Popular With Young People?
Before creating underage gambling laws, the government authorities and non-government organisations monitor young people’s gaming activities. It has been proven that certain things draw young people’s attention. Sometimes the operators intentionally do this to draw new players, but most of the time is a result of other factors we will mention now.
Age Appropriate Games
Sometimes the child has no access to age-appropriate games; instead, its attention is drawn to games played by the grownups.
Other times the companies create kid gambling games like roulette, poker set, and other casino games where the money prizes are removed or replaced with points.
The child anti-gambling laws and other regulations worldwide ban the distribution of such games.
Eye-Catching Art & Graphic Design
The visual representation is the first thing a player sees. Many gambling games like slots have cute characters, cool design, special effects, and other eye-catching features. The teenage gambling statistics show that young adults are curious about exploring a wagering game based on their latest interests (vampires, TV shows, cars, fighting, etc.).
Loot Boxes, Skins & Other Prizes
The child gambling laws forbid operators from offering unrealistic prizes to players. Even so, underage gambling online often happens when the young player is motivated to take a challenge and get rewarded upon defeating it.
Gambling under 18 years of age does not offer money prizes, but there are loot boxes or material prizes. Gambling on characters’ “skins” is extremely popular amongst video game players.
Easy Access
The laws against child gambling are clear about the gambling age restrictions; lately, more severe measures have been used. A good example is the restriction of advertisement and making access to gambling products difficult. Online casinos achieve this with extended identity verification upon registration and blocking the account if the player fails the confirmation. Land-based locations just don’t allow underage players to enter.
Bad or No Parental Control
In a situation of bad or no parent control, children often involuntarily break the underage gambling laws at online casinos. If the parent forgets to log out , the child may decide to play without realising that this is wrong. Sometimes parents even allow their children to play because they are luckier or keep them busy with something “productive”. In the worst case of no parental control, the child uses the parent’s ID or debit cards to register and play.
Influencers & Social Media
Many youth gambling problems are caused by young people’s desire to imitate influencers on social media. The constant watching and the attempts to imitate adults or other adolescents are usually caused by the idea of fast or effortless success. Most people don’t realise that most social profiles are made for profit and rarely show influencer’s real life.
Children Gambling Addiction, Punishments & Prevention
Every child gambling law aims to prevent or to minimise the possibility of gambling addiction. The measures vary from country to country, but they all aim to keep children and teenagers away from gambling games. Getting addicted happens gradually, and the path to redemption is harder with children than with adults.
Underage Gambling Punishments
The child gambling addiction is a worldwide phenomenon despite the efforts of governments and private organisations to stop it. Countries with gambling laws have a list of penalties and punishments for a young person and their caregivers (parents, grandparents, adoptive parents).
Depending on the severity of the situation and the laws in the country, underage gambling punishments may include a fine, public service labour, time in juvenile penitentiary institutions, and more. The punishments are rarely severe and aim to show the child the dire consequences of the actions.
In most cases, alongside the penalty, the underage gambler has to go to therapy with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a support group. The therapy sessions might be court-appointed or initiated by the parents.
Child Gambling Addiction Prevention
Many people say that teenage gambling addiction is hard or even impossible to prevent because of the rebellious nature of the adolescent. There are many temptations, and it is easy for a child or a teen to slide down the problem gambling curve. Science proves that parents, teachers, and even friends of the child can take the following gambling addiction prevention steps:
- 🗨️ Conversation: Have a two-way conversation with the child about gambling, gambling addiction, and the dire consequences
- ☎️ Speak with Professionals: contact gambling addiction hotline or visit the local gambling addiction prevention centres
- ⌛ Waste of Time: Make gambling unappealing by diminishing its importance, value, and potential awards in favour of real achievements
- 🚀 Hobbies & Dreams: Encourage hobbies, activities, and entertainment, and remind the child that time spent gambling takes away the chance of making the big dreams come true
- 👒 Good Example: Be a role model and avoid gambling or excessive time online
- 💻 Time Online: Limit a child’s time online or redirect it towards learning, physical sports, creative activities, etc.
- 👾 Online Gaming: Limit all forms of gaming, even non-gambling games
- 🛑 Parental Control: Use online parental control or download the software for all internet devices
- 🎂 Age Limit: Set user age limit on internet devices
- 📢 Advertisements: Restrict or stop internet advertisements
- 💸 Money: Limit child’s access to large amounts of money
- 🔒 Gambling Access: Don’t leave an adult’s gambling registration unattended or delete it completely
- 👨👩👧👦 Organisations: contact gambling addiction prevention organisations
Since we always write about gambling, we also have advice for the children: gambling might seem great, but it can’t replace friends and fun. Go outside, ride a bike, eat ice cream, draw, share jokes with your friends or do anything else that will make your time count. When you grow up and get a job, you will regret wasting your time gambling.
Child Gambling Laws FAQ
The child gambling laws deal with the most serious part of gambling-related matters. We collected several of the most interesting and important questions you can find online. Every answer has a link to a relevant part in our article, where you can find even more information.
