Have you ever wondered how old you have to be to gamble the world away? Varied countries have different gaming rules and regulations, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. When you think about it, it’s an odd thing, yet the gambling age varies depending on where you are in the world. To gamble on horse races, football, casino games, or most other forms of gambling, you must be 18 years old, including the lottery, which was raised from 16 to 18 in 2021. Meanwhile, the majority of states in the United States have a 21-year-old gambling age.

It isn’t even set in stone in certain nations, such as Canada, where the age limit is 18 in some provinces and territories but 19 in others. The explanation behind why a country chooses a specific age is complex, with many of them being chosen at random. We’ll look at a few significant examples from around the world and discuss the implications. Learn More about Casino games with best odds

The Standard Age

The gambling age is 18 in the vast majority of countries in the world. From the Cayman Islands to Greenland, Jamaica to Aruba, most countries have decided that 18 is an acceptable age for citizens to gamble. The one question that is difficult to answer is why 18 was chosen as the age at which most places consider gambling to be acceptable.

One school of thought holds that in most nations, persons are considered adults at the age of 18 when they finish school. There are grounds to disagree, as per Alexander when he conquered Maedi 16 and Charles Algernon Parsons built an automobile 15. Nonetheless, 18 is commonly regarded as the age of adulthood.

Let’s look at some concrete examples now that we have a general idea of why knowing the gambling age is useful and how 18 has been accepted as the legal betting age in most nations.

North America (the USA and Canada)

The authorized gambling age in the United States is 18 in most states. However, there are a number of exceptions, including Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, and Nebraska 21. Furthermore, the age varies depending on the form of betting; for example, those above the age of 18 are permitted for lottery, charity bingo, but those under the age of 21 are not permitted to enter casinos. Things are simpler in Canada, on the other hand. With the exception of Manitoba, Quebec, and Alberta, where the age to gamble is 18, you must be 19 or older to bet.

Europe 

Because of the European Union and the close cooperation between most European countries, gambling regulations, like most other laws, have been harmonized to the greatest extent possible. As a result, the legal age in all 43 countries is 18, with the exception of Greece, where you must be 23 or older. This wasn’t always the case, though. Many nations, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and 12 German states, had laws prohibiting anyone under the age of 21 from gambling until the late 1980s. You may still discover locations that won’t let you in if you’re under 25, however, this is exceedingly unusual and depends on internal casino restrictions.

South America 

According to the most recent studies, South America has a population of almost 420 million people. Given the fact that over 300 million of them are above the age of 18, South America has the potential to be one of the world’s greatest gambling markets. Most states have had strong anti-gambling attitudes throughout their history, but since 2006, they have made considerable efforts to introduce laws that legalise and regulate gaming on the continent. As a result, as long as you are over the age of 18, you can now access casinos, play the lottery, and bet on sporting events in all 15 countries.

Asia 

Asia is home to some of the world’s oldest civilizations, as well as the great majority of gambling games. Furthermore, this large area of the territory is home to more than a third of the world’s population, making it one of the most essential sites on our list. Most countries have a gambling age of 21, however, there are few exceptions, such as Georgia (18), Cocos Islands (18), Northern Cyprus (18), and South Korea (18). (19). Another fascinating exception is Macau, where locals under the age of 21 are not permitted to gamble, but international tourists aged 18 and up are permitted to enter casinos and sports betting shops.

Africa 

In most African countries where gambling is legal, if you are 18 or older, you will be permitted to participate in gambling activities. Egypt (18), Namibia (21), and Nigeria (22) are the only exceptions to this pattern (20). Africa is also home to one of the world’s most bizarre gaming regulations. In Malawi, children over the age of five are legally permitted to bet, setting a precedent that has no parallel anywhere else in the world. The idea for this is because by the age of five, children should already be familiar with the concept of money.

Australia Age 

Finally, we arrive at our destination. Australia is well-known for having a tumultuous past with gambling laws and regulations. The government passed the Interactive Gaming Act in 2001, making it unlawful for any internet operator to offer services to Australian gamers. It took the parliament more than a decade to realize that such prohibitions were not only ineffective but actually hampered the growth and development of one of the world’s most valuable sectors. There are numerous examples of this, but one item that has remained constant is the official gambling age, which is 18.

 Summary

As previously stated in this article, most countries around the world have an 18-year-old gambling age. There are varying ages in some nations depending on what you want to bet on, therefore we’ll focus on those countries here.

Gambling is outlawed in many nations in the world, including Cuba, the British Virgin Islands, Sudan, and Mauritania, to name a few. Meanwhile, in Malawi, the gambling age is 5 (five) years old, with no lower age limit because smaller children “do not understand the significance of money.”

The Federated States of Micronesia follows a similar approach to the United States in that individual states are allowed to set their own gambling legal age. It is completely forbidden in Yap and Chuuk. Casino welcome bonus wagering requirements, learn from our experts