What’s the right age to start gambling?

[Russlenat]

We all know most countries set the legal age to gamble at 18 or 21, but it got me thinking, what really is the right age?

If you’re under 18, you probably don’t fully understand money yet. For teens, most income is from allowance or side gigs, so losing it in slots or sports betting could hurt more than they realize. That’s why rules say they’re not ready, it’s about protecting them from mistakes they can’t handle financially or mentally.

In your early 20s, you start earning your own money, but a lot of people still don’t have discipline. Some see gambling as thrill or quick cash, but they don’t really think long term.

By late 20s or 30s, maybe that’s when most people are financially and mentally stable enough to handle the risks. It doesn’t mean they gamble smarter, but at least they know what’s at stake.

So the bracket looks something like this:
■ Teens - curious but not ready, no stable income
■ Early 20s - earning but often reckless
■ Late 20s and 30s plus - more stability, more awareness of risk

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

[ultrloa]

We all know most countries set the legal age to gamble at 18 or 21, but it got me thinking, what really is the right age?

If you’re under 18, you probably don’t fully understand money yet. For teens, most income is from allowance or side gigs, so losing it in slots or sports betting could hurt more than they realize. That’s why rules say they’re not ready, it’s about protecting them from mistakes they can’t handle financially or mentally.

In your early 20s, you start earning your own money, but a lot of people still don’t have discipline. Some see gambling as thrill or quick cash, but they don’t really think long term.

By late 20s or 30s, maybe that’s when most people are financially and mentally stable enough to handle the risks. It doesn’t mean they gamble smarter, but at least they know what’s at stake.

So the bracket looks something like this:
■ Teens - curious but not ready, no stable income
■ Early 20s - earning but often reckless
■ Late 20s and 30s plus - more stability, more awareness of risk

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

Age limit may vary depends on what country you are own since government set some standards regarding on what age they recommend people to gamble.

I think government is also fine for their people to participate on those activities as long as they are in legal age.

What they discourage are those minors will try to join on these risky scene since their brains are provably not well develop to carry on the consequences of possible bad or good result that they could get on gambling.

18 or 21 make sense as long as they are capable and didn't use funds came from illegal activities.

[_act_]

The right age for someone to start gambling should be the age they are when they started earning money for themselves after they are above 18 years. I mean the person should be 18 years of age or above and he should have a job or where he is earning money. So the age can be above 18 years for someone not having a job yet.

[Justbillywitt]

At the age of 18+ you are legally allowed to gamble, but it is left for individuals to decide if they are ready to gamble or not. This legal age only make it obvious that you can go to casinos without being harassed by anyone. And another thing is this your view that at 18 you don't really understand money should be subjective and not generalized. Because we're I come from we know money even before the age of 18.

[Sanitough]

I think it should be at least 21, since 18 years old is still too young and reckless. I started gambling when I was 15, and it was really stressful whenever I lost, that’s based on my own experience. Now that I’m in my late 30s, I’ve gone through addiction many times, had regrets many times, but I can say I’m more in control now and gamble more responsibly.

The first requirement for gambling, aside from age, should be having a good source of income. Because if you don’t, you’ll look at gambling differently.. not as fun, but as a way to earn money. And that mindset is dangerous.

[danherbias07]

I think it should be 30 and above, not through legal means, but for self-decision only.

You are right, this is where a person sees the risk of what he is doing, and he is capable of being responsible for the act that he will do. In this case, gambling. Patience is the key when a person is gambling, and I believe that at that age, a person is more patient as they grow older, too.
Although I started gambling at an early age, I regret it because I was too aggressive back then, especially when playing poker. Impatient, that's what teens and 20s are.

[TheUltraElite]

Those ages are there but gamblers tend to come from all ages. Truely only the mature one should be gambling but the less mature ones will gamble more because the other group already knows how the casino functions and would not want to gamble.

This is also why gambling ads are targeted towards to younger generation because they are more likely to spend money obtained.

I would if you want to start gambling, obseve the games and keep track of which games have how much winning outcomes first. If you do it correctly you will get disappointed and will not want to gamble.

[un_rank]

This are topics that are not specific to gambling. We could ask the same about the legal age of drinking, when is someone grown enough to drink responsibly and avoid addiction?

Rather than trying to raise the age we should focus on agencies that enforce the current one, too many people are able to gamble without being legally allowed to and they usually do not encounter any issue usually until a point when they win big and want to withdraw.

- Jay -

[Hatchy]

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

Regardless of age, I really think the risk is the same and younger people takes more risk. My reason is that if a kid at a young age begins to take risk, he might not have anything to lose. He's not even spending from his own funds probably that of his parents. So he might even be a better risk taker but a bad risk manager. But someone around his 30s, he literally might have alot of responsibility on his neck will not be ready to take such risk. He will think it's twice or even more before putting his money all in.

Age doesn't really matter when it comes to risk. But gambling we can say it would destroy the younger one's dreams and make them lose focus in their studies.

[Dave1]

Maybe the right age or the right time to gamble is that when you started to make money otherwise where will you get the money that you are going to bet when you are young? Take money from your parents unknowingly? You might pushed yourself to the brink at a early age if you do this. Maybe in the beginning, you can just play what you have extra from what the parents gives you for you schooling.

But as in my case, I started when I have my first job and making money. Then going to land base casino (till this day), and some other form of gambling too, or shall I say other form of vices, for sure you know what I mean,  .

[purple_sparkles]

We all know most countries set the legal age to gamble at 18 or 21, but it got me thinking, what really is the right age?

If you’re under 18, you probably don’t fully understand money yet. For teens, most income is from allowance or side gigs, so losing it in slots or sports betting could hurt more than they realize. That’s why rules say they’re not ready, it’s about protecting them from mistakes they can’t handle financially or mentally.

In your early 20s, you start earning your own money, but a lot of people still don’t have discipline. Some see gambling as thrill or quick cash, but they don’t really think long term.

By late 20s or 30s, maybe that’s when most people are financially and mentally stable enough to handle the risks. It doesn’t mean they gamble smarter, but at least they know what’s at stake.

So the bracket looks something like this:
■ Teens - curious but not ready, no stable income
■ Early 20s - earning but often reckless
■ Late 20s and 30s plus - more stability, more awareness of risk

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

Our physiological ability to think critically is fully developed only by the age of 25. Before that, we are physically unable to use this function to its fullest. Theoretically, from that age, people could be allowed to play entirely at their own responsibility. But I think that’s too long of a period, since some manage to try and even quit gambling before reaching that age. Any prohibition pushes people to look for workarounds. I believe gambling should be completely prohibited until the age of 18, and after that, there should simply be certain restrictions such as limits on bet amounts, no possibility of playing on credit, and, if the game is online, the presence of “online assistants” that would pop up with persistent reminders about responsibility, the principles of playing for fun, and the dangers of losing.

[joeperry]

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

If I am not mistaken the brain used in decision making and impulse control is still developing at the age of 18 until the age of 25, just like what @purple_sparkles says. So I'm not surprised anymore if there are a lot of young adults that makes bad decision in their finances and losing it all in gambling.

Honestly I started at this age bracket and I really have a lot of bad decisions. For me, I think it should be higher but most of the country they see age 18 as adulthood and capable of decision making but what science says is the opposite. I think it's just part of the process and growth that you'll experience losing and stress to be stable in gambling  

[stadus]

This are topics that are not specific to gambling. We could ask the same about the legal age of drinking, when is someone grown enough to drink responsibly and avoid addiction?

In the US, you need to be at least 21 before you can enter a bar or even buy liquor from a store. So there’s already a set number, and I think it should be the same with gambling, it should also be at least 21. At that age, I believe people are already more responsible.

You can drink and gamble at the same time, no problem...as long as you’re 21.

[SmartGold01]

For me age doesn't matter and what should be looking at is how mature and stable one could be to control herself towards how they sees money and gambling. There are people who doesn't have self control towards money and can easily waste them to something unnecessarily, while there are people who could earn money and utilize it or make use of it judiciously without wasting it. There are people who are so intelligent to know that this is bad or and that is good, so they could apply it to gambling and make a better decision and prevention to how they uses their money while gambling. Of course, most times age could be needed there to at least have a matured mind and the right mindset.

[Marykeller]

The rightful age to gamble is 18 years and above. At that age, some people are financially and emotionally strong enough to make and carry out decisions on their own and they can stand by it.

About gambling, the area of concentration should be when someone is financially and emotionally prepared; that's when they should consider gambling, because gambling is not done on empty pockets, and if you are not emotionally strong, gambling can keep you frustrated due to the numerous losses accumulated.

I would advise, being financially and emotionally prepared, and above all being informed about the risks involved in gambling so that you won't go bankrupt within a short time

[Mr. Magkaisa]

We all know most countries set the legal age to gamble at 18 or 21, but it got me thinking, what really is the right age?

If you’re under 18, you probably don’t fully understand money yet. For teens, most income is from allowance or side gigs, so losing it in slots or sports betting could hurt more than they realize. That’s why rules say they’re not ready, it’s about protecting them from mistakes they can’t handle financially or mentally.

In your early 20s, you start earning your own money, but a lot of people still don’t have discipline. Some see gambling as thrill or quick cash, but they don’t really think long term.

By late 20s or 30s, maybe that’s when most people are financially and mentally stable enough to handle the risks. It doesn’t mean they gamble smarter, but at least they know what’s at stake.

So the bracket looks something like this:
■ Teens - curious but not ready, no stable income
■ Early 20s - earning but often reckless
■ Late 20s and 30s plus - more stability, more awareness of risk

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

Here in PH and i know we are in the same place ..

at the age 16 you can apply for student licence
at the age 17 you can apply for non-pro licence
at the age 18 you can apply for a work and you will be liable in law.
at the age 21 you can enter CASINOS


but for me, Even you are already 21 years old if you can make your life better with out gambling or going to casino, pls do!

[Charles-Tim]

For me age doesn't matter and what should be looking at is how mature and stable one could be to control herself towards how they sees money and gambling.

Yes, age is not important but how mature someone is. But age is still important when discussing about underage people. People that are below 18 years of age should not be allowed to gamble. Even if the person is having a gambling mature mind before he or she turns 18, he should still not be allowed to gamble.

[retreat]

-snip-

Do you think the legal age limits (18 or 21) actually make sense, or should it be higher or lower depending on maturity?

After the age of 18, a person should be more mature and able to make the best decisions for themselves. That's the age at which a person can be considered responsible for themselves. So, if someone has passed that age, it should be legal for them to gamble. However, it's important to note that those who reach that age must earn their own money if they want to gamble. They shouldn't rely on their parents for money, they must be fully responsible for the money they use, ensuring it's their own hard work, not the money they've been begging or burdening others with.

[fullfitlarry]

If we look at most countries legal age which is 18, you can vote or join the military, then I guess this is the right age to gamble.

But I guess we also have to look at the psychological standpoint. At 18, you might be reckless or out of control and perhaps the definition of YOLO. And then if you don't have a steady income or at least making money, then I don't think that gambling as this age is sustainable.

So for me the best age is 21 and above, you are now an adult, maybe getting your first job, you have found your new independence, could be living alone and make your own decision. However, this age could be dangerous as it could start you with gambling addiction.

[TastyChillySauce00]

No matter how big the number to start gambling, as long as it's in the legal age, it should not be a problem. I'm not also concerning so much about mentality caused by different people, different mentality. Just because there is A who is 19 years old and B is 25 years old, we call A has glass mentality compared to the B.
Being younger doesn't mean he has weaker mentality than the older one. Age is just a number here.