Online Casino Games For Players Under 21
While gambling expansion continues apace in America, gambling options for players aged 18+ are as scant as ever. Fortunately, there are plenty of safe, legal, real online casino games for players under 21 years old. In fact, most legit online gambling sites cater to players aged 18+ as a matter of course, making it easy to find a place to bet and win real money.
Of course, it’s not advisable to just join the first 18+ online casino you come across. To ensure that you join only the most trusted under-21 online gambling sites in the business, you’ll need to sign up with an established, trusted operator in the space. After all, online casino games are only as good as the sites that host them.
Top Online Casinos For Players Under 21 Years Old – 2024 Best Casino List
Accepting 21 And Under Players
| Casino Site | Bonus | Rating | USA | VIsit/Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 100% up to $3,000 | 4.8 | Play Now Read Review | |
| 2 |  | Up To 7 BTC | 4.7 | Accepts All Countries Except UK, US, RU, NL, JP | Play Now |
| 3 |  | 200% up to $3,000 | 4.6 | Play Now Read Review | |
| 4 |  | 500% up to $3,000 | 4.5 | Play Now |
Is It Legal To Play Casino Games Online If You Are Under 21 Years Old?
As long as you are at least 18 years of age, there is nothing illegal about playing real money casino games online at a casino site that is operating legitimately online, such as the ones you see on this page. There are no US federal laws that prohibit 18+ online casino gambling. Washington state is the only US region that expressly restricts online gambling regardless of the source. While they do nothing to enforce these restrictions, we'd be remiss not to inform you of their disapproval.
Online Casino Game Software – Are Online Casino Games Legit?
Under-21 online casino games are 100% legal to play if you join a reputable offshore gambling site. But how legit are the games themselves? After all, this is the Internet we’re talking about, and there are plenty of scams out there.
Hey, it’s perfectly normal for new gamblers to be wary about online casino games as opposed to state-regulated retail casino games. That’s actually a great instinct; clearly, not all ogames or betting sites are created equal.
That said, the sites we recommend here are all equally legitimate and trustworthy. They use regularly audited online casino software made by the biggest names in the industry. Reputable brands like Realtime Gaming (RTG), Betsoft, Microgaming, Dragon Gaming, and Rival Powered have been in business for years.
Meanwhile, industry watchdogs routinely analyze and certify each brand’s random number generation (RNG) technology. This guarantees that it’s fair iGaming compliant and offers the same odds you’d get playing in real brick-and-mortar casinos.
How To Play Online Casino Games
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably never played any real-money online casino games. And if you’re reading this under the age of twenty-one years old, you may not really know how to play casino games at all.
The good news is that if you know how to do one, you know how to do the other. The other good news is that if you don’t know how to do either, there’s not a very big learning curve. Most casino games are simple and straightforward to learn.
The only real difference between online vs. in-person casino games is that you use a mouse or touchscreen to make your bets online while you actually fiddle with chips on the felts in person. Otherwise, the rules and strategies are basically identical.
Even better, all the top sites have full primers for new players that explain every wager for every game type. Our under-21 online casino game guides are coming soon, but in the meantime, the resources at the sites featured here are more than enough to help you get started.
The only real trick is getting signed up, and that’s easy, too:
- Follow any link on this page to a trusted online casino for under 21 players.
- Click or tap the “Sign Up” or “Join” button.
- Enter in all required information using only your real, verifiable data. Make sure your VPN is off to ensure that joining is allowed in your particular state.
- Make a deposit using any supported casino banking option. We recommend cryptocurrency (i.e. Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Cardano, etc.) for the best online casino bonuses and same-day payouts.
- Play all the 18+ online casino games you want!
Types Of Under-21 Online Casino Games
In domestic brick-and-mortar casinos, most players have to be 21+ to play the games on offer. Some casinos, such as tribal gaming venues that don’t serve alcohol, occasionally host real-money games for players at just 18 and up, but these are few and far between. In most US gambling states, 18+ casinos usually aren’t “real” casinos and are instead just glorified lottery or bingo halls.
But at online casinos operating offshore, under-21 players can get all the action they expect – and then some.
Remember, each game uses audited RNG software to ensure real-world odds and win rates, and the payouts are just as good as in the best 21+ Vegas casinos. One account at any of our recommended sites gets you full access to all the following casino game types.
Online slot machines are the most popular options for real-money online gambling. But that’s hardly surprising. Slots have been the biggest casino gambling category since they were introduced in the late 1800s. Online slots look, feel, and function exactly like the retail electronic slots you’re used to, minus the machine-side drink service. But since you’re under 21, you weren’t getting that, anyway!
While the best online casinos offer a veritable cornucopia of fruit machines, online blackjack is the second most popular game on the list. The blackjack rules online are the same as in person, with the software “dealer” hitting on 16 and standing on 17. And even though this is under 21 blackjack, exactly 21 is still the ultimate goal. Of course, you’re probably going to win with hands of 18-20, too...
The online roulette wheel is just as compelling as the classic casino roulette wheel. The difference, of course, is that you can play roulette online at just 18 and older, while almost all brick-and-mortar gambling houses require players to be 21 and up. The top sites host both electronic American and European roulette variants, with the latter version recommended for beginners due to its slightly better odds.
Playing video poker online is exactly the same as playing video poker in person. As one of the only gambling games that’s frequently available to players under 21, video poker – with its many entertaining “wild card” variants – is one of the best games for gamblers new to the online space. With dozens of unique games, we’d call online video poker a royal flush, but it’s really more of a full house.
Baccarat – pronounced “baccarat,” not “baccarat” – always flies under the radar. In retail casinos, the game seems limited to big spenders and usually puts these players front and center down in the pit. But online, 18+ baccarat games are far more player friendly. That is, they’re both more convenient and more financially accessible. With betting limits perfect for high rollers and low ballers alike, baccarat is back in style!
For players aged 18-20, bingo is probably the most commonly available gambling pastime in the retail “IRL” market. Most states allow legal bingo, and you probably have a local bingo hall within just a few miles of wherever you happen to be. Of course, bingo halls don’t quite have the same dedication to ambience that proper casinos do. For under 21 bingo players who love bingo balls but not moth balls, online is the freshest option.
Lottery games – i.e. scratchers/scratch-offs, pull-tabs, etc. – are the number-one kind of under-21 gambling games in the United States. Even slots can’t compare to the popularity of the lottery. For hardcore lotto players, state-based lotteries are the way to go. But if you want to play small-money lotteries online, that’s where the numbers games at the sites we recommend come in. They don’t pay out a lot like the Powerball, but they pay out a lot more often.
Any kind of casino game not featured in the above categories is usually available in your site’s “Specialty” section. Here, you’ll find different titles depending on the particular site you choose. Games like craps, keno, sudoku, mahjong, various takes on “spin the wheel,” interactive videogame-style offerings, and similar disparate fare is always on hand. Be sure to check back often, too, as new games are added regularly.
Live-Dealer Casino Games For Under 21 Players
Live games are a major draw in retail casinos the world over. For many players, if there aren’t live tables, it isn’t a “real” casino. And until recently, this used to be the biggest selling point for in-person casinos over online casinos. The catch was – and remains – that you have to be 21+ to play at most retail live-dealer tables.
Today, though, the Internet has evolved to the point that live-dealer casino games are readily available online for players under 21. The best sites – including all those featured in our under 21 online casino reviews – feature the four main live-dealer games in their live casino suites:
- Live-Dealer Blackjack
- Live-Dealer Roulette
- Live-Dealer Baccarat
- Live-Dealer Super 6
Note: “Live-dealer poker” isn’t actually a thing as such. Many of the top sites we recommend do offer real under-21 poker rooms. However, online poker is its own gambling niche separate and distinct from the online casino market.
Mobile Online Casino Games For Under 21 Players
If you have a smartphone or tablet, you probably use it a lot more than you use your desktop or laptop computer. Online casinos understand this, which is why all the best operators have invested in crafting dedicated under 21 mobile casinos for their members.
Of course, you won’t find any real-money iPhone casino games, iPad casino games, or Android casino games in the App Store or Google Play store. These popular storefronts only host casino sims. These virtual casino games cost real money to play but cannot legally pay out any actual winnings.
To get around these limitations, the sites featured here all employ web-based responsive design to bring you the best interactive gambling games right through your mobile browser. If you’re under 21, you can play anywhere under the sun!
Free Online Casino Games For Under 21 Players
Some players like to play online casino games for free. Heck, all players like to play online casino games for free! And as luck would have it, nearly every 18+ gambling site we recommend (with the baffling exception of the otherwise brilliant Bovada Casino) offers free-to-play options for each game on the menu.
Unlike so-called free iPhone casino games, free iPad casino games, and free Android casino games, these games are actually free. There are no sneaky microtransactions or IAPs for extended play times or more spins/coins – You can play for free as long as you like, and when you’re ready to bet (and win!) real money, you can switch your game to the paid version with a simple click or tap of the screen.
We always recommend that new players under 21 years of age try out unfamiliar slots or table games using these free options before risking real money.
Under-21 Online Casino Bonuses And Promotions
Online casino promos are a huge selling point for competing sites, and many players use them as tie-breakers when choosing which reputable venue to join. While we won’t get into the minutiae of how casino bonuses work, we do want to point out one way in which online casino games and online casino bonuses overlap: bonus contribution rates.
Generally, different online casino games contribute to your bonus playthrough requirements at different rates. While every site has its own specific model of contribution percentages, the following is an approximation of the general rates you can expect for each kind of game:
- Slots – 100%
- Blackjack – 20%
- Video Poker – 10%
- Roulette – 5%
- Baccarat – 5%
- Live-Dealer* – 0%
- Bingo – Varies
- Lotto – Varies
- Specialty – Varies
*Some sites allow live-dealer games to contribute to bonus playthrough, but this is usually capped at just 1-2%. It’s best not to rely on live casino games for meeting your bonus wagering requirements.
Online Casinos For 21+ Players
Here at Online Gambling 21, we’re dedicated to helping gamblers aged 18-20 play real-money casino games safely and legally over the Internet. Nevertheless, there are a few 21+ casinos worth mentioning, too. After all, you’re going to be 21 someday. And when that day comes, you’d be remiss not to check out the top-tier sites previously unavailable to you.
To be sure, these sites won’t give you anything you didn’t already have access to with the under-21 sites featured in our guide, but every online casino is different.
When comparing 21+ online casinos vs. 18+ online casinos, the biggest difference is game selection. Many 21-plus sites use a completely different roster of game developers and branded titles than you’re used to seeing at the best 18-plus sites. Variety is the spice of life, and it might just be the ticket to an even hotter bankroll.
Best Online Casinos For Players 21 And Older
| Casino Site | Bonus | Rating | USA | VIsit/Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 100% up to $3,000 | 4.8 | Play Now Read Review | |
| 2 | | 100% up to $5,000 | 4.6 | Play Now Read Review | |
| 3 | | 100% up to $3,000 | 4.5 | Play Now | |
| 4 |  | 325% up to $9,750 | 4.5 | Play Now | |
| 5 |  | 400% up to $10,000 | 4.4 | Play Now | |
| 6 |  | 400% up to $8,000 | 4.3 | Play Now |