Should gambling be allowed for legal adults 18-20?

This question is plain and simple. Do you think that legal adults age 18-20 should be allowed to gamble in U.S. casinos? I believe all states that have it, allow you to play the lottery when you turn 18 so why not go to a casino. There are a few indian casinos that allow this and as for underaged drinking, I have yet to ever see a problem with in in any of the 18+ establishments I have been to. The largest one here in Michigan is the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and from what I remember once reading it used to be the largest casino outside of Vegas or A.C. They DO allow 18+ to enter and gamble. And since Central Michigan University is only a 5 minute drive from there, a good number of the under 21 crowd goes there. I have yet to see anyone bring this up on here and was curious to think what others thought. My answer was yes

I say no, because teenage brains aren't fully developed, and one of the last things the human brain acquires is judgment, risk assessment, and discretion. Young people do foolhardy things because those skills don't develop until the mid-20's, or much later in the case of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan. To allow teenage children to gamble would be to expose them to exploitation.

And besides, they don't have any money.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the gambling age 19 in Canada, and 18 in Australia?

Quote: Wizard

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the gambling age 19 in Canada, and 18 in Australia?

Canada is 19 and I don't know about australia. I should have put "US casinos" in the headline. I should add the legal drinking age in Canada is also 19.

Quote: mkl654321

I say no, because teenage brains aren't fully developed, and one of the last things the human brain acquires is judgment, risk assessment, and discretion. Young people do foolhardy things because those skills don't develop until the mid-20's, or much later in the case of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan. To allow teenage children to gamble would be to expose them to exploitation.

And besides, they don't have any money.

While some of this may be true. I see many, many degenerate older gamblers as well. In fact I see more people over the age of 50 in the casinos "gambling" than I do the younger crowd. Also I dont consider 18-20 as a child. They are consenting legal adults in ANY jurisdiction. I would much rather have my 18 year old son or daughter with me at a casino then to see them either drinking a beer or in army fatigues in some desert in the mid-east. Second, most of the younger crowd I know tend to play the better games. Those that are either beatable or have a very low house edge, like poker or blackjack and the older people like playing slots and sucker games with high house edges. Now as far as I am concerned, playind any slot machine or sucker games is using poor judgement. But I say, its your money and if you are a legal adult and earn your own money, you should be able to "spend" it any way you want except for on alcohol. I don't drink and I have seen that ruin many more lives than anything else combined. But that topic is for a different time and forum.

I'm very much on the fence about the proper age.

I beleive there are MANY rights and responsibilities that are different ages, but should all be the same age. For example:

- Unrestricted Working
- Unrestricted Driving
- Unrestricted Drinking
- Gambling
- Smoking
- Voting
- Military duty

To clarify the 'unrestricted' part: minors can work with working papers, drive with a learner's permit or during specific hours alone, drink at home with parental supervision.

Id say no since it may distract students from their studies if theyre pursuing a college education.

from a casino's perspective, since the drinking age is 21, its too difficult having to identify those that are 18-20 and those that are 21+. they can give them bands or stamps when they enter but then the kids can just rip them or wash them off. the casino might find themselves getting sued to selling alcohol to a minor. kids that age dont have much money anyways. its not worth the hassle risking all that to make a few extra bucks.

It only takes a few seconds to ask for and verify an ID. I'm 36 and get asked all the time for ID even though I don't drink. I'll be at a blackjack table for hours and just out of the blue get asked for it.

Quote: Wizard

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the gambling age 19 in Canada, and 18 in Australia?

For Canada: 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. 19 elsewhere.

I think the age of adult should be 19 in the US. This should be the age for smoking, drinking, voting, military, gambling, anything else you could think of. I'll make driving 17.