What’s the Difference Between 18 and 21?

When Gov. Andy Beshear signed sports betting into law on March 31, he made Kentucky the biggest U.S. jurisdiction by population to adopt a legal wagering age of 18. Of the 26 legal digital states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, only six currently allow betting at 18. Four of those — Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. — are regulated by state lotteries.

There are estimates from the National Council for Problem Gambling research that an estimated 4 to 8% of adolescents presently exhibiting a serious gambling problem, with another 10 to 14% of adolescents at risk for developing or returning to a serious gambling problem. Compound that with the fact that the NCPG’s NGAGE survey found rates of problematic gambling for sports betting to be two to three times worse compared to other forms of gambling, and it would stand to reason that the NCPG would advocate for at least 21 as the legal age.

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Responsible gambling has become a top concern among gambling stakeholders in recent months. Newly legal states like Maine, Massachusetts, and Ohio have set down some of the country’s most stringent advertising and marketing standards. All in an effort to protect those under the age of 21 from even being exposed to the idea of legal wagering. Last month, the American Gaming Association updated its responsible gambling guidelines, including changing all references to the “legal age of wagering” to 21.

However, there’s no consensus — and no real research related directly to sports betting — on protecting those in the 18-21 age group from exposure or access to wagering.

Some say that if responsible gambling messaging is on point and problem gambling helplines are easily accessible, then offering to bet to teenagers can be managed.

In North America, Ontario is the largest jurisdiction with legal sports betting. The province’s population is 14.6 million, compared to 4.5 million in Kentucky, and the legal gambling age has been set at 19. Every U.S. jurisdiction that has set the age at 18 has a population hovering at or below 3.2 million (Puerto Rico), and most have populations of 1.4 million or less.

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