The Best Online Casinos For 18-Year-Olds And Up
It's no secret, 18+ casinos, both online and offline, are very hard to find the US at the local level, with most casinos only allowing players who have reached the age of 21. We believe that if you are old enough to go fight for your country, then you are old enough to enjoy responsible casino gambling entertainment as well. Since the bulk of the local betting industry has all but brushed off 18 to 20 year olds, we decided to introduce you to the providers who legally welcome 18+ players with open arms.
The best online betting sites for 18-year-olds, are actually available in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., with real money gambling that are often the same as those featured in local betting venues. These 18+ online casinos are based outside of the US within legitimate international gambling jurisdictions, and gladly welcome all players who are 18 and up.
If you are between the ages of 18 and 20 and want to play real money casino games online, this guide lets you know how and where it can be done. The best part is it is all legal and legit, with options present across the entire country that are accessible from your laptop, smartphone or tablet.
Bovada – Best 18+ Online Casino For May, 2024
💵 Casino Bonus
125% Max $3,750
💵 Sportsbook Bonus
50% Max $1,000
💵 Poker Bonus
100% Max $500
Is Bovada legal for 18 year olds?
Yes!! Bovada can legally accept players 18 and up from the United States. This operator has been available in the US since 2011 and is among the most respected and top-rated brands. In addition to a sophisticated casino, Bovada offers an online sportsbook, poker room, and a premium racebook, with sign-up bonuses for each option.
Bovada also provides their players an exceptional mobile app, support for crypto transactions, same-day withdrawal options, a prop-builder, a live dealer online casino, player reward programs, 24/7 customer service, a refer-a-friend bonus, and reasonable rollover requirements.
- License Certificate: B2C-4FML2EDR-1668JAZ
- License Jurisdiction: Curacao eGaming
- VIP Program: Yes
Are There Real Money Online Casinos For 18-Year-Olds?
Yes, although there are no local, state-licensed options that accept gamblers at eighteen. The best 18-friendly online casinos that accept US players operate exclusively outside of the United States. The 18 and up sites that we review and recommend are offshore casinos that are operating online legally within a respected international gambling jurisdiction.
These online casinos offer adult players under 21 all of the popular games you'd find at any premium retail casino property, including slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker, craps, baccarat, specialty games, live dealer games, and more. These sites are very serious about preventing under age gambling, so be prepared to verify your identity and your age prior to requesting any payouts.
Are Online Casinos Legal?
Yes. Although some states do offer state regulated online casino gambling, none of them welcome players who are under 21. This is where legal online casinos operating legitimately outside of the United States swoop in to save the day. Since there are no US states that outlaw your access to offshore online casinos, you can literally enjoy 18+ online gambling states across the entire country.
Offshore online casinos and 18+ online sportsbooks both operate outside the scope of state or federal gambling laws. They exist inside international jurisdictions that govern gambling locally. They can allow 18 and older players inside the USA to join and partake in their casino games without violating existing regulations. Not all of the top rated online casinos are 18+, but the ones that are and are among the best the industry has to offer are listed on this page.
Where To Gamble At 18 Using Online Casinos
There are some exceptional options for enjoying online casino games for anyone who is 18 and up. These options are not provided by local casino businesses because there are not any state-licensed online casinos based inside of the US. However, the online casinos you see on this page all legally accept 18+ players and have been reliably providing their services to the US gambling market for over a decade.
Most retail and tribal casinos in the US cater to the 21+ crowd, and the vast majority of them do not have an online or mobile presence for players of any age. Because each of the online casinos you see on this page are operating legally within a legitimate governing jurisdiction that has authorized gambling at age 18, they are free to welcome players who are 18+. Along with online access from your laptop or desktop PC, you can also access each of these trusted brands from your smartphone or tablet using their web-based casino apps.
How To Sign Up At Online Casinos For 18 Year Olds
While no signup is required to browse the game menu at the premium online casinos for 18-year-olds that we recommend, creating an account is necessary to gamble and play real money games. Here is how to expediently create an account and hit the tables.
- Pull up one of the recommended online 18+ casino sites on your web-ready device and press the join button, typically found at the top of the homepage.
- The first step of the signup process involves submitting some personal information, such as your name, address, DOB, etc, and creating a secure login. Some gambling sites also require account verification via smartphone or email.
- Now you’re ready to upload funds to your account. This can be done using cash or cryptocurrency. Before making your first deposit, you should definitely check out each site's casino sign-up bonus and promotional offers. These are often based on your first deposit, so you'll want to make sure you claim any relevant offers before finalizing your first transaction.
- Once deposits are completed, you can click on the casino tab and begin playing any game they offer. Each game will include tabs with rules, instructions on gameplay, paytables, and any other relevant information.
Pro Tip: If this is going to be your very first time playing a casino game online, you might want to spend a little time with free play casino games. These options are available a few ways: 1. Some casinos offer free play or practice mode when you are not signed into a casino. 2. Some casinos make practice mode a part of the game's features whether you are signed in or not. Enjoying some game play in practice mode will help you get used to the environment and the functionality, resulting in fewer player errors with the wagering process.
How To Play Online Casino Games At 18
Playing real money casino games online is not all that different from playing in person at a brick and mortar retail casino property, it's quite a bit more convenient and supports some pretty cool perks and features you won't find in Vegas or Atlantic City for example. Premium 18 plus online casinos, such as the ones you see on this page, have refined online gaming into a truly enjoyable, rewarding form of gambling entertainment that definitely scratches that itch when you're craving some Vegas action, but without the expensive plane ticket and hotel stay. To play your favorite casino games online, you just follow these steps:
- Register for an account (explained in the section above).
- Visit the casino's virtual lobby and check out their game menu.
- Play some of the games that look interesting to you in practice mode or free play mode to get acclimated to the nature of the online gaming environment. (some casinos require you to not be logged in to play in free play mode)
- Visit the Promotions section of the casino to review current bonus offers and promotions that are available to you.
- Deposit funds into your account using crypto, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Matchpay, Vouchers, Venmo, Paypal, Cashapp, +more. (Banking options vary by site.)
- Return to the casino's virtual lobby and select your games of choice!! You'll be able to choose from slots titles, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, video poker, keno, live-dealer games, and a host of other types of popular and specialty games.
Each game will have it's own menu that includes rules of the game, a how to play section, and helpful information such as payline configurations for slots, types of poker hands to use in video poker, and other details relevant to the specific game you're playing. There is also a help section in the casino that provides a wealth of information about various games, casino rules, and how to use their banking suite.
18+ Casino Mobile Apps
There are legit casino apps for 18 year olds, but they are not offered by locally-licensed casino operators. Instead, the 18+ online casinos that have been providing their services to US players for over a decade deliver premium real money casino gambling through their innovative and sophisticated browser-based applications, effectively delivering iOS casino apps as well as Android casinos, all of which have identical gaming offerings and capabilities.
There are no states that host domestic mobile casino apps for players 18-20 years old. There are also no casino apps in the Apple or Google app stores that support real money casino gambling for US players. International online casinos can accept 18 and older mobile gamblers, and they've all got a sophisticated mobile app that you can access for game play and account management from any current device. We've listed the best options on this page for premium casino apps that are legal for 18+ players.
All of these brands are compatible with the most widely used platforms, allowing them to function as iPhone Casinos and also offer their casino games for Android and iPad. You don't have to download these particular casino mobile apps because they are all web based apps that can be bookmarked on your device. Their innovative gaming software is designed to fit mobile screens perfectly and gives users an app-like experience through its touch-button controls.
All Apple and Android smartphones and tablets that still get updates from their respective parent companies should have no trouble pulling up these top casino apps.
Real Money Games Offered Online At 18+ Casinos
Below you'll see a small sample of some of the casino games you'll find at these premium online gambling sites. There are far too many to list here. With no space restrictions, these sites can host as many games as they like.
- Slots – You'll notice some of the same slots, brands, and software providers found in Vegas casinos featured at these offshore gambling sites. You'll find 3 reel slots, 5 reel slots, 7 reel slots, progressive jackpots, 3D slots, video slots, RealSeries slots, and so many more.
- Blackjack – Multi-deck, single-deck, live dealer blackjack
- Roulette – Standard and live dealer roulette
- Baccarat – Standard and live dealer baccarat
- Craps
- Video Poker
- Live Dealer Super 6
- Bingo
- Keno
- Other Specialty Games
Slots
Table Games:
Video Poker
War
Caribbean Stud
Bingo
Keno
Live Dealer Games
Best Online Casino Sign Up Bonus Offers For 18 and Up Players
Most 18+ casino sites will offer bonus cash when you are making your first deposit and is sometimes extended to future deposits as well. Funds are matched by a declared percentage and added to accounts once the deposit completes.
For example - you may see an offer look something like this: 100% Up To $3000, which means the casino would match 100% of your deposit up to a maximum amount of $3000.
Most of the time these bonuses apply to playing slots games, but other games do sometimes qualify at lower contribution rates. This is one detail you'll need to verify when reading the rollover requirements for the offer. 18 and up online poker sites fall into a different category and have their own bonus options. Below are the current bonus offers for the online casino brands we recommend.
Online Casino Bonus Codes For May 2024
- Bovada - 125% Max $3,750, Bonus Code: BTCCWB1250
- Cafe Casino - 350% Max $2,500, Bonus Code: Select At Deposit
- SlotsLV - 300% Max $7,500, Bonus Code: Select At Deposit
- Super Slots -250% Max $6,000, Bonus Code: SS250
Pro Tip: You get enhanced bonus offers for using cryptocurrency to fund your account.
Options For Adding Funds To Your Online Casino Account
Our favorite gambling sites offer their 18-plus customers several options to add funds to online accounts. Most major credit/debit cards are accepted, but fees are usually attached by the casino site and the lending company. Many of our recommended casinos support online casino vouchers, Matchpay, and Player Transfers, all of which can be processed using popular P2P apps such as PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, vouchers, crypto, and more.
Our preferred method of depositing into your casino account is by using cryptocurrency. Typically no fees are attached to these ultra-secure transactions. Uploads complete fast and will have players at the tables quickly. Below you'll see a list of the more popular payment methods accepted at the online casinos we recommend.
How To Withdraw Money From Online Casinos
No matter where you do your online gambling at 18-20, the payout options are fewer than what's offered for deposits because credit and debit card withdrawals are not possible. That's not really an issue with us because our cryptocurrency payouts using Bitcoin and other altcoins complete within a few hours (in most cases).
BTC is common among all of our best sites, with a variety of popular altcoins accepted at each casino. When you collect winnings, you don't want anyone taking a cut of your earnings, do you? Cryptocurrency withdrawals can be made without additional fees, letting gamblers keep what they've won.
You can also opt for P2P options through Matchpay, vouchers, or similar services (you can read the details about this in the banking suite of our recommended online casinos).
What We Look For In Legitimate 18+ Casinos Operating Online
There are a great many online casinos out there that accept players at age 18 and up, but not all of these destinations are legitimate gambling sites operating with genuine credentials. After years of experience, and some hard knocks along the way, we've really honed our skills when it comes to vetting online casino brands and their relevant mobile applications.
Our list of 18 and up internet casino may not include every single one out there, but it does include the absolute best, most trusted options on the web. We have a range of standards and criteria that spans hundreds of data points that must be met in order to be included in our list of recommendations. We base our assessments from not only a professional, industry insider perspective, but also as a register player perspective.
We do not recommend a single online casino that we ourselves are not active players at. We do not suggest you place real money bets on casino games anywhere that we ourselves don't also do the same. Our input and advice is not regurgitated information we gathered from other people who visit and use these gambling sites. Our feedback is from first hand experience. Here are just a few of the criteria points that must be satisfied in order for inclusion in this guide:
Are Offshore Casinos Legal For 18+ Players?
If you're at least 18 years old, and you are visiting an online casino that is operating legally online within a gambling jurisdiction that has authorized internet casinos for 18+ players, then yes, it is legal for the casino to accept USA players who are legal adults (18 and up). All of the casinos you see featured on this page are legitimate, legal online businesses that have been offering their services as online casinos for 18 year olds for over a decade. The management teams of some of these brands have been involved in the industry since the late 90s.
There are no US federal or state gambling laws prohibiting US players from visiting and playing real money casino games at these online gambling sites. We thought you might like a little more info on each brand's legal status:
Best Casino Software: 18+ Casino Software Solutions That We Trust
The casinos on this page all use some combination of the following casino software developers:
- RealTime Gaming (RTG)
- Rival Gaming
- Revolver Gaming
- BetSoft
- NetEnt
- Evolution Gaming
- Microgaming
- Playtech
What Makes Online Casino Software Providers Trustworthy?
The casino software solution that any online casino uses is paramount to it's performance, security, and trustworthiness. It is a significant part of our review process and rating results, and can make or break a brand. In order for any gambling site to be included in our guide, we require that their software technology (either industry leading brand or proprietary) have the following criteria embedded in their interface and backend office suite:
18+ Casinos: Offshore VS Domestic
Online casino gambling has gained momentum rapidly over the last decade, and we cannot give the credit to the local, state-regulated casino market. US based casinos more often than not completely eliminate adults who are under 21 from enjoying their services, and the domestic side of this industry has failed to keep pace technologically with offshore brands, with very few locally regulated online casinos or casino apps available to US players of any age. If it weren't for the robust 18+ online casinos available to Americans, there were be almost no opportunities to legally play real money casino games online. We decided to do a comparison of the two different markets so you can easily see the differences between the two.
Are 18 Year Olds Really Old Enough To Gamble?
This question is the source of some controversy, with proponents on both sides of the debate genuinely considering the well being of younger players. Our position within the debate is rather simple. If you're old enough to fight and die for your country, you are old enough to enjoy some responsible casino gambling entertainment. The kicker in that statement is the word 'responsible'.
We urge you to responsibly designate a budget for your casino entertainment and to stick to it. There are self imposed betting limit features at every casino on this page. Don't be afraid to use them. They will assist you in not getting carried away.
Another element of ensuring that you're ready to engage in real money casino gambling is being selective with your destinations. This is something we can help with. You can rely on our input in this regard. We will only direct you to legal, legitimate online casinos that offer your a secure, high quality space to enjoy some sophisticated internet gambling with reliable, fast payouts. These are sites that we ourselves have been players at for more than a decade in most cases.
FAQs For 18+ Casinos Online
Resources For 18+ Gamblers
If you know or even suspect that you may be experiencing symptoms of problem gambling, we strongly urge you to seek help. Gambler's anonymous is a trusted source of help and has groups established to help you throughout the United states. You can access their meeting finder tool here: Gamblers Anonymous US Meetings.
Disclaimer
While we fully support your freedom to enjoy responsible gambling entertainment at online or retail casinos accepting 18 year olds, we want you to understand that the purpose of this site is not to provide professional advisement regarding your gambling activities. We are not lawyers and seek to share what we've learned from personal experience as gamblers. You are not guaranteed to win when you gamble, and nothing we say is intended to convince you otherwise. This site is for informational purposes only.