Key takeaways

• 21: The minimum age is 21 in 33 of the 39 states with legal sports betting, counting Wisconsin, where most tribal compacts set 21.

• 18: Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. let 18-year-olds bet by law, though individual operators can require 21.

• Tribal states: Washington’s compact appendix sets 18, North Dakota’s 2022 compacts set 19, and two Wisconsin compacts allow 18.

• Kentucky: The age rose from 18 to 21 on July 15, 2026.

• Other products: Lottery tickets and daily fantasy often have a lower age than the sportsbook in the same state. Prediction markets set their own minimums, and Novig’s is 21 in every state it serves.

Minimum sports betting age in every legal state

You have to be 21 to bet on sports in most of the US. Thirty-three of the 39 states with legal sports betting set the floor at 21. Five states and D.C. allow 18-year-olds, four of them by statute and Washington through its tribal compacts, and North Dakota’s tribal compacts set 19. The 11 states with no legal sportsbook don’t have an age to set; their guides are on the state guides index.

The table below lists the legal minimum. An operator can always require more than the law does, and some books in 18+ jurisdictions sign up only customers 21 and older.

Where 18-year-olds can bet on sports

Five jurisdictions set the sportsbook floor at 18 by law. Montana’s sports betting runs through the state lottery, whose code bars sales of wagers to anyone under 18. New Hampshire’s statute defines an authorized sports bettor as a person 18 or older who is physically in the state; a 2025 bill to raise it to 21 died in committee. Rhode Island’s statute directs the lottery to keep people under 18 out of sports wagering, and Wyoming’s 2021 online sports wagering law bars only those “under the age of eighteen.” D.C.’s Office of Lottery and Gaming says the minimum age to place or cash a sports wager in the District is 18.

Washington’s tribal sportsbooks are the other place an 18-year-old can bet. The compact appendix makes anyone under 18 a prohibited participant, and some casinos set 21 on their own. North Dakota’s tribes lowered the reservation gambling age from 21 to 19 in their 2022 compact amendments, with an exception at 18 for military ID holders. In Wisconsin, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau reports that most compacts set 21, while the Lac Courte Oreilles and Sokaogon compacts allow 18. Call ahead before you drive to a tribal casino on the strength of a compact age.

How the age is set in each state

Most states write the age into the sports betting statute itself. Illinois’s Sports Wagering Act says a person placing a wager “shall be at least 21 years of age,” and Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia have similar provisions. Others spell it out in regulator rules as well, as Colorado and Arkansas do. In Missouri, voters wrote the 21 floor into the state constitution with Amendment 2 in 2024, so changing it would take another constitutional vote.

Where tribes run the books, the compact controls. New Mexico’s compacts bar anyone under 21 from Class III gaming, Florida’s compact limits sports betting to patrons 21 or older, and Washington’s and North Dakota’s compacts set their own lower ages. That’s why tribal casinos in different states can admit different ages to the same kind of sportsbook.

Kentucky passed HB 904 over the governor’s veto in April 2026 and raised its age from 18 to 21 effective July 15. New Hampshire’s House committee voted down a 2025 bill to raise its age to 21, and a Wyoming legislative committee drafted the same change without it becoming law. North Dakota’s tribes went the other way in 2022, cutting their compact age from 21 to 19.

Lottery, fantasy and casino ages

A state’s sportsbook age doesn’t always match its other gambling ages. Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection sets 21 for sports wagering and casino gaming but 18 for fantasy contests, lottery tickets and keno. Delaware sells lottery tickets at 18 and requires 21 for sports and casino games. Oregon’s lottery sells Scratch-its at 18 and requires 21 for its DraftKings sportsbook. Michigan’s regulator lists 21 for sports betting and online casino accounts and 18 for fantasy contests. Illinois applies its 21 floor to fantasy contests too, under the Sports Wagering Act.

Prediction markets and age

CFTC-regulated prediction markets aren’t licensed by states, so state sportsbook ages don’t bind them and each platform sets its own minimum. Novig requires every user to be 21 and to pass identity verification, and its eligibility page lists every state except Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. That means an 18-year-old in New Hampshire can use a licensed sportsbook but not this market.

Several states have objected to prediction markets taking younger users. Connecticut’s September 2026 cease-and-desist orders to nine platforms, Novig among them, said prediction markets can offer bets that fall outside the state’s restrictions, including to people under 21, and New York’s attorney general made a similar allegation against Kalshi in a July 2026 suit. Ohio’s regulator sent cease-and-desist letters to 10 platforms on October 2, 2026, Novig’s operator among them, and gave them until October 16 to confirm they had stopped. Novig’s eligibility page still listed Ohio on October 16, so its status there is unsettled.

FAQ

How old do you have to be to bet on sports?

21 in most states. Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. allow 18, Washington’s tribal casinos allow 18 under the compact, and North Dakota’s tribal casinos allow 19.

Can you bet on sports at 18 online?

The law allows it in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wyoming and D.C., though an operator can still require 21. Montana’s 18+ lottery product takes bets only at licensed locations, and Washington’s tribal apps work only on casino premises.

How can I sports bet in Kentucky at 18?

You can’t at a sportsbook anymore. Kentucky’s minimum rose to 21 on July 15, 2026. See the Kentucky guide for the rest of HB 904.

What’s the age for Novig and other prediction markets?

Each platform sets its own. Novig requires 21 and identity verification in every state where it operates. States that oppose these markets have cited under-21 access in their enforcement actions.

Is the age different at tribal casinos?

Sometimes. Tribal compacts set the age in tribe-run states: 18 in Washington, 19 in North Dakota, 21 in New Mexico and Florida, and 21 for most Wisconsin tribes. The Washington guide lists casinos with sportsbooks.

You must be 21 or older to bet in most states. Gamble responsibly. If gambling stops being fun, call or text the national helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (ncpgambling.org).