Washington State Casino Age

Sun Local

State

By Jim Rothgeb, Sun Staff — Jul 9th, 1998

  • Minimum Age to Gamble in United States of America. Below you will find the minimum legal age to gamble in various locations around the U.S., Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. In the 50 American states, some times you'll see a variance, this usually is due to Indian casinos having different age requirements in their casinos than state regulated.
  • Online Gambling Age For Washington Residents If you are going to gamble in Washington, there is one thing you will definitely be happy to know - you can begin legally gambling as early as 18. If you decide to begin playing in a live or online gambling site, you will find that access can be earned as early as 18. Washington Online Gambling Laws.

Washington Revised Code. RCW 4.24.070 Recovery of money lost at gambling. All persons losing money or anything of value at or on any illegal gambling games shall have a cause of action to recover from the dealer or player winning, or from the proprietor for whose benefit such game was played or dealt, or such money or things of value won, the amount of the money or the value of the thing so lost. Another one of the young gambling states is that of the Legal Gambling Age in Washington. Players who are 18 years or older will be able to enjoy all that legal gambling has to offer in Washington State, be it online or offline. If you live in Washington State, than you are entitled to use some of the best gambling choices at one of the.

Age

Operators cite a great demand to allow underage military personnel into the hall.

Tyler Phillips is 19 years old, lives in Indianola, and until Wednesday night had never spent time in a casino.

At least he'd he never bellied up to a blackjack table and slapped down cold cash to look at a few cards. He's always been too young.

But there he was, standing next to his friend, John Peterson, also from Indianola, who handed Phillips $10 and taught him how to beat the dealer at the Clearwater Casino in Suquamish. In just about an hour, young Phillips had won maybe $6.

State

'I like it,' Phillips said. 'This is fun. It's the first time I've ever been here, and I'll probably come back.'

The key phrase here is '19 years old.' Because Phillips falls under a policy that lowers the minimum age for gambling at Clearwater Casino from 21 to 18. It's the first tribal casino in Washington to allow anyone that young to take part in its various games of chance.

The policy lowering the age of gambling from 21 to 18 may have a ripple effect at tribal gaming halls throughout the state.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board approved the policy, with restrictions to certain areas of the casino. In essence, 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds can gamble but they can't drink alcohol.

The new policy was started last Friday and casino officials say they've averaged about 35 young gamblers per day.

'We're doing this because of the demand,' said Desmond Gibson, marketing director. 'We live in an area with many young military people and they haven't been allowed to come in. Here they are, old enough to work on a warship, and yet they haven't been able to gamble.'

Washington's minimum age for gambling has always been 18 but that age group has been shut out of casinos because state liquor laws require that they be 21 to enter. Clearwater is one of many tribal casinos that serves alcohol.

But the Suquamish questioned the restriction as it appears in their compact with the State Gambling Commission. Their argument is that since many card rooms without state compacts serve liquor where minors are allowed, why shouldn't the same policy apply to casinos?

'Technically, gambling has always been open to 18-year-olds,' said Ben Bishop, executive director of the gambling commission. 'The age of consent is what got us into this trap. Now it's the same as minors going to a restaurant where alcohol is served. They can go in, but alcohol will not be served to anyone under 21.'

At Clearwater, minor guests can play all the casino games, including craps, roulette, blackjack, poker, keno, and Let It Ride, among others. What separates them from anyone 21 or older will be a colored wrist band that designates them as too young to drink.

'Our security staff issues the wrist bands, and we have floor men, security guards, managers and servers all over checking IDs,' said John Harman, Clearwater general manager. 'It's going to be real, real hard for someone underage to not be detected.'

The wristbands are a different color each day and it's virtually impossible to remove them without tearing them off. Adult guests who don't appear older than 21 will be carded and have their hands stamped, allowing them to consume alcohol.

Liquor control agents have advised the casino that the lounge and sections where alcohol is served in the entertainment area are still off limits to anyone under 21.

When it comes to gambling, many of the young players are still learning the games, according blackjack dealer George Medina.

'Some know just a few of the basics, like when to hit and when not to,' Medina said. 'The young people seem to like blackjack better than craps because craps is a tough game to learn.

'Overall, they've been a wonderful crowd.'

Chuck Dalrymple, state Liquor Control Board supervisor, said other tribes may follow the Suquamish in lowering the gambling age.

'I think it's just a matter of what casino operators choose to do,' he said. 'It depends on where they see their business coming from.'

News of the lowered age was met with concern by Gary Hanson, executive director of Gamblers Anonymous, a Seattle-based group which focuses on addictive gambling.

Eighteen to 21 years old 'is a vulnerable age group and if you lower the threshold and expand the group, there is always the potential of problem gambling,'he said.

Gibson and Harman emphasized that Clearwater does not plan to target the younger age group in its advertising.

Washington State Gambling Age Limit

'We're just going to drop the 21 age limit from our ads and change it to 18,' said Gibson.

Washington State Casino Age

Reach Jim Rothgeb at (360) 792-9213 or at jrothgeb@thesunlink.com.

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