Gambling Age In NJ: What is The Gambling Age in NJ?

What age can you gamble in New Jersey?

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this, as the minimum age requirement depends on what kind of gambling you’re involved in. As such, you will have to be at least 21 years old to enjoy sports betting, casino gaming, and poker. However, the minimum age requirements drop down to 18 years old to enjoy horse racing betting, playing daily fantasy sports, and wagering on bingo and lottery games.

These minimum age requirements are rigorously enforced by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Any gambling company that is found to have breached the minimum age requirements will do so at the risk of losing their New Jersey gambling licenses.

This means that you will always have to be able to prove your date of birth when you want to gamble in New Jersey. As such, you may have to take your driver’s license if you were to play at a casino in Atlantic City. Conversely, you will probably have to submit your social security number and other personal details to prove that you are of age to gamble at an online sportsbook or casino site.

Minimum age requirements for physical vs online gambling

The good news is that the minimum age requirements apply to both physical and online gambling. This means that you have to be the same minimum age to bet on sports online as you would if you visited a sportsbook retail outlet at one of New Jersey’s casinos or racetracks.

We should note that these minimum age requirements apply to New Jersey residents as well as to visitors from outside the state. So regardless of whether you’re coming from New York to bet on sport, or from Pennsylvania to play casino games, you’ll still have to abide by the minimum age requirements.

What is the gambling age in NJ for casino gaming?

You have to be at least 21 years old to play casino games in New Jersey. This minimum age requirement applies regardless of whether you are playing in-person at one of the bricks and mortar casinos in Atlantic City or if you are playing at one of the online casinos on our shortlist.

The minimum age requirements are put in place by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and they are there to ensure that no minors run the risk of playing casino games. Thankfully, once you have proven that you are over the age of 21, you can enjoy wagering real money on thousands of slots and table games.

The minimum gambling age in NJ for sports betting

Current gambling legislation means that you will have to be over the age of 21 years to bet on sports in New Jersey. Such a minimum age requirement applies when you bet at an online sportsbook and when you bet at a physical sportsbook retail outlet.

These minimum sports betting age limits were imposed when New Jersey legalized sports betting in 2018, and they exist to ensure that no problems like underage gambling exist. Once you have proved to a sportsbook that you are of legal age to gamble, then you should be able to try your luck on all major and minor sports from football, hockey, basketball and baseball to soccer, tennis, MMA fighting and even esports.

What is the gambling age in New Jersey for poker?

You have to be at least 21 years old to play poker in the Garden State. This minimum age legislation applies whether you are playing in one of the poker rooms at an Atlantic City casino or even if you are playing at one of the many legal poker sites currently operating in New Jersey.

Such minimum age requirements are rigorously enforced by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. As a result, you will have to prove to the poker provider that you are at least 21 years old before you can begin playing. Once you have done this, then you should be able to enjoy playing anything from Texas Hold’em to Omaha poker for real money in New Jersey.

What is the gambling age in NJ for horse racing betting?

If you want to bet on horse racing in New Jersey, you will only have to be a minimum of 18 years of age. This may be surprising, as it is a lower minimum age requirement compared to regular sports betting and casino gaming. However, it’s important to note that horse betting in New Jersey takes the form of parimutuel betting which is where all of the bets of the same type are placed together in a pool.

Interestingly, the regulation for horse racing betting falls under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Gaming Commission. However, it’s worth noting that this organization is just as strict in ensuring that only those of the minimum required age are allowed to enjoy this form of wagering. As such, you will always have to be at least 18 years old to bet on the horses, regardless of if it’s via an online racebook or even at one of the licensed racetracks in the Garden State.

How old do you have to be to play DFS in New Jersey?

You only have to be 18 years old to play daily fantasy sports in the Garden State. There was a fair amount of confusion over how to regulate fantasy sports when the activity first took off. After all, there was plenty of discussion about whether it was a form of gambling or not. This is because it was felt that fantasy sports involve more in the way of skill than regular sports betting or casino gaming.

While the argument about this goes on, you will still have to abide by the minimum age requirements when you play DFS in New Jersey. So be ready to submit some personal information, like your social security number, when you sign up to a fantasy sports provider in the Garden State.

What is the minimum gambling age for playing the lottery in NJ?

You have to be at least 18 years old to play the lottery in New Jersey. This minimum-age requirement applies regardless of whether you buy your lottery tickets in-person at a kiosk, or whether you purchase your tickets through a mobile app.

The relatively low minimum gambling age is policed by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. As such, you should expect to provide some kind of personal identification when you buy lottery tickets either online or in-person. Just so you know, you have to be 18 years or older to play everything from the New Jersey state-run lottery to the massive national lotteries like PowerBall, Mega Millions and so on.

What is the minimum gambling age for bingo gaming in NJ?

Only people aged 18 years or over are allowed to play bingo games with real money in New Jersey. It doesn’t matter whether you are playing at a charity-run event in a bingo hall or whether you are playing bingo at an online casino site, as the minimum age requirements will apply. Just note that you’ll have to be at least 21 years of age to sign up to a legit online casino in New Jersey.

The minimum age requirements for bingo are policed by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. As such, any operator who offers bingo games to minors would be breaking the law and would be running the risk of losing its licensing.

Don’t risk lower minimum age requirements at offshore gambling sites

The minimum age requirements for gambling in New Jersey exist for one simple reason - to stop the dangers of underage gambling. As a result, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is very strict to ensure that all of its licensed operators follow the required age limits.

However, it’s worth noting that you might stumble across some online sportsbooks and casino sites who state that they allow anyone over the age of 18 to gamble. Chances are that these are offshore gambling sites which are companies based outside of the US. These companies are actually breaking the law by allowing people in New Jersey to gamble online, as only NJDGE-regulated operators can function in the Garden State.

Don’t be tempted to play at an offshore gambling site - especially if you are underage. There are multiple reasons why these offshore sportsbooks and casinos are so risky.

First of all, they exist outside of US regulation and you’ll be acting illegally by playing there. Secondly, the lack of regulation means that there is no guarantee that the sports bets or casino games are actually fair. Finally, there is absolutely nothing legally binding to stop an offshore gambling site simply vanishing with your money as soon as you make a deposit. All of which shows why you should never play at an offshore sportsbook or casino.

Playing legally at New Jersey’s online gambling sites 

As long as you are of the minimum age to gamble, then you should be able to quickly understand why New Jersey is such a great place to try your luck. This is because there are dozens of fully regulated online sportsbooks and casino sites currently operating in the Garden State. We’ve reviewed each of these operators so that you can quickly see which gambling site is best for your needs. So take a look below to see how easy it is to legally gamble online in New Jersey!

Check our operator comparison

We’ve created a shortlist that shows the best licensed online sportsbooks and casino sites in New Jersey. Each of these has been found to be legal, safe, and great fun too!

Download the gambling app 

You can either visit the gambling site on a desktop or laptop computer, or download the operator’s gambling app to your smartphone or tablet to play on the go!

Create your customer account

Next it’s time to create your user account. This merely means having to provide your name, address, email, date of birth, social security number and so on.

Make a deposit

This is where you deposit money in your account to fund your wagering. Expect to see a variety of different deposit methods that should include cards, ewallets, prepaid cards, bank transfers and so on. You should also be able to make a deposit in person at the partnered casino’s casino cage.

Get your bonus

Don’t forget that most New Jersey gambling sites will put on some kind of welcome bonus for new customers. These are special offers that tend to give you bonus credit that you can use to play casino games and bet on sports without having to use your own money.

Start wagering

Finally, you can enjoy wagering in New Jersey safe in the knowledge that you are of legal age to gamble and are doing it at a fully regulated gambling site.

Conclusion - Stay up to date with the New Jersey gambling laws 

By now you’ll know that New Jersey has firm but fair minimum age requirements for all forms of online gambling. The good news is that these are roughly in line with the minimum gambling ages for other US states. This means that gambling in New Jersey isn’t too restrictive, but at the same time it is doing enough to keep everyone safe.

We should note that gambling laws and regulations do change over time. As a result, there is every chance that the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement could change the minimum age requirements for anything from sports betting to casino gaming. So watch this space to see how old you have to be to gamble in NJ and try your luck at one of our approved online gambling sites!

What is the gambling age in New Jersey? FAQ