Online Sports Betting Guide For Under 21 Players

Sports betting has long been limited to Nevada, with all the best sportsbooks clustered in Las Vegas. However, after PASPA was overturned in 2018, many states launched their own sports betting products. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these are for players aged 21+, so young adult bettors may feel left in the lurch.

But that’s not the case! Offshore, there are several reputable under 21 sports betting sites that you can sign up with today, and all of them accept players at 18 and up. While there are a couple of caveats and best practices to understand, we cover these below, so you can make an informed bet about which book to join. We’re calling your number and jamming the line so you can take it to the house – and all the way to the bank!

Sports betting 18+

Most Trusted Online Sports Betting Sites For 2024

All Sportsbooks Accept Players 18+ And Up

Sports SiteBonusRatingMin AgeUSAVIsit/Review
1Bovada50% up to $10004.8 18+Green Check Play Now Read Review
2BetUS brand image125% up to $3,1254.7 18+GreenPlay Now Read Review
3MyBookie Sportsbook50% up to $1,0004.7 21+Green Check Play Now Read Review
4BetOnline Sportsbook & Casino50% Max $2504.5 18+Green Check Play Now Read Review
5Xbet Sportsbook50% up to $5004.5 21+Green Check Play Now Read Review

Can You Legally Bet On Sports If You Are Under The Age Of 21 In The United States?

Yes, it is! But with most states setting their sports wagering ages at 21+, how is online sports betting legal for younger players? It’s simple: Offshore sportsbooks accept members starting at just 18 years old, and because these under 21 gambling sites are located outside US jurisdiction, they are safe and legal for 18-20-year-old players to use.

A few 18+ online gambling states, like Montana, have made domestic online sports betting accessible to 18 and up players, but most states – even those with lottery-run sportsbooks – have kept their legal ages of participation to 21-plus. But again, those laws apply only to US operators on US soil. Sportsbooks located overseas have age laws in line with their countries of operation, which is almost universally 18. And because there are no federal laws that bar US players from accessing these services, you’re in the clear.

Sports Betting Markets Available For Under 21 Players

There are dozens of sports you can bet on when you gamble with a reputable offshore site like those listed here. For younger players without access to domestic options, this is particularly valuable, because it gives you several years to refine your game before heading to Vegas and letting it ride.

Offshore books also have more international sports support than domestic books, and the under 21 crowd’s sporting tastes definitely go beyond the borders of America. 18 and over Super Bowl betting, international basketball, and soccer are three of the most popular markets for younger players, and you’ll find all that and more at any site listed here. The sports and leagues on tap include – but are not limited to – the following.

  • Football (NFL, NCAAF, XFL)
  • Basketball (NBA, WNBA, NCAAM, NCAAW)
  • Hockey (NHL, international)
  • Baseball (MLB, NCAA, international)
  • Soccer (MLS, Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, etc.)
  • Rugby (multiple international leagues)
  • Cricket (Indian Premier League, etc.)
  • Tennis (ATP, WTA)
  • Golf (PGA, LPGA, European Tour)
  • MMA (UFC, Bellator, etc.)
  • Boxing (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO)
  • Wrestling (WWE, etc.)
  • Auto Racing (NASCAR, Formula 1, etc.)
  • Virtual Sports (randomized simulated games)
  • eSports (League of Legends, Fortnite, CS:GO, etc.)
  • Politics (Trump odds, election odds)
  • Entertainment (The Voice, DWTS, awards shows, etc.)
  • + More!

Different Types Of Sports Bets Available At Offshore Sportsbooks

When you bet online, you might be under 21, but you don’t have to sit at the kid’s table. This is full-on sports betting, with all the action you’d find at the best Las Vegas sports betting lounges.

Here are the wager types you can expect for all the sports on the big board, and we explain how each one works. If you’re an 18+ beginner, you won’t be a noob for much longer!

Straight bets simply require you to pick the winner. The moneyline sets the bet’s prices and shows which club is favored and which is the underdog. These are the most straightforward wager types in all of sports betting, which is why under 21 beginners should start here.

Spread betting is a way for bookmakers to handicap the action and make a lopsided game more compelling on both sides. (Books want even money on both sides of a wager so they can “take the middle” as their fee, aka the “vig”) In spread betting, the favorite will have to win by a certain number of points in order for your bet to pay out, while the underdog can lose by a certain number of points and still win the wager.

Totals betting requires you to simply choose whether or not any two teams competing against each other will combine to score more than (“over”) or fewer than (“under”) the point total set by your sportsbook. Totals are commonly called over/under bets for this reason.

Prop bets, short for proposition bets, are wagers you make about the in-game statistical performances of players (player props) or teams (team props) within a game, outside of the final score. These can include any number of events, and the bigger the game, the more props there are. Most props come in the form of over/under bets or yes/no bets, and you can bet on things like how many TDs a QB will throw, how many strikeouts a pitcher will rack up, how many assists a point guard will deliver, and more.

Specials bets comprise anything that doesn’t fall into the above categories. Online under 21 sportsbooks offer all kinds of wacky specials. You can find lines on the next player to be arrested or suspended, the next major athlete signing for a given sponsor, and so on. Anything sports-related but “off-the-field” is usually considered a special, and most of these are exclusive to offshore books.

Best Sportsbook Deposits To Use In 2024

Without a doubt, Bitcoin (BTC) is the best way to fund your online sportsbook account, regardless of how old you are. Of course, BTC is especially popular among the younger generation, which means that most under 21 bettors probably already have some of the stuff. They call it “hodling,” or so we hear.

At any rate, if you’re hodling coin, you can use it to bet online. Bitcoin deposits come with no added fees, have high limits, earn players the best bonuses, and more.

Other sportsbook banking options include the following, all of which come with fees and many of which take several days to process (which isn’t the best option when you want to bet on tonight’s big game):

  • Visa sportsbook deposits
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Discover
  • Bank wires
  • Cashier’s checks
  • Money orders
  • Peer-to-peer transfer services
  • Zelle

Fastest Sportsbook Payout Methods To Use In 2024

The fastest payout at any online betting site is Bitcoin. In fact, BTC offers the only same-day withdrawal option available in the offshore sports betting market, and the transaction is entirely digital. This not only fits the modern youth lifestyle to a T (or a BTC), but Bitcoin (and other supported cryptocurrencies like Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Bitcoin Cash) allows you to maximize your data security and privacy. You have your whole life in front of you – now is not the time to have your identity stolen!

Though BTC is the recommended withdrawal option for under 21 players, you must deposit in Bitcoin to be paid out in Bitcoin. Otherwise, you’ll be limited to more expensive, slower methods like bank wires, money orders, and courier checks. Who wants to wait a week to get paid?

Sportsbook Bonuses And Promotions To Increase Your Bankrolls

Online sportsbooks dish out the bonuses like Russell Westbrook dishes out the dimes. Every site offers new member bonuses for first-time depositors, and these can add several hundred dollars to your bankroll. Many sites also offer reload sportsbook bonuses whenever you make fresh deposits. Just be aware that bonuses come with rollover requirements, which you’ll need to meet before you can withdraw any winnings.

Here’s how rollover works: Let’s say you sign up at Bovada's online sportsbook and accept their 50% deposit match bonus. If you put $100 into your account, Bovada will kick in another $50, for a total of $150. In order to claim winnings on this deposit, you will have to meet the site’s 5X rollover requirement, wagering a total of $150 x 5 ($750) before you can withdraw.

If you bet regularly, meeting rollover is easy enough, but for infrequent bettors or single-event gamblers, it makes sense to bypass such bonuses. And remember, all sportsbook deposits have a mandatory 1X rollover, bonus or not.

Live In-Play Sports Betting Options

If you’re under 21, you’re probably used to the streaming economy, where you can watch anything and everything at the press of a button. Unfortunately, live sports are still a network TV mainstay, and streaming options are limited.

That said, live betting – which you can view as streaming sports betting because the odds change in real time while the games are being played – is available at all the best betting sites.

Unlike traditional wagering where betting is closed at tipoff, kickoff, or faceoff, in-game wagering lets you bet on odds that shift by the second to reflect the ebb and flow of each game. This is the most immersive way to wager, and offshore books have more live sports betting than even the biggest Sin City casinos.

Live betting sports
Mybookie Mobile Sports Betting App

Mobile Sports Betting Apps In 2024

No player under 21 would give two seconds of thought to an online sportsbook that didn’t support 18 and up mobile betting. Heck, most players of all ages demand the feature for the sheer convenience factor. So just as under 21 online casinos and poker sites offer web-based mobile apps, the sportsbooks are no exception. With mobile sports betting, you can bet no matter where you are: at the club, at your friend’s house, at the tailgate party and countless other places.

All that said, you will not find any official sports betting apps from the brands we recommend, as Apple and Google policies prevent their US storefronts (App Store, Google Play) from carrying any offshore gambling products.

But you do get refined web apps from each operator we recommend, all of which conform to fit your iPhones and Androids as if they were native gambling apps. There are never any downloads or updates to worry about, either. As long as you have an Internet connection, betting on your favorite sports is just a tap and a swipe away.

Under 21 Gambling FAQs

If you’re under 21 and just learning about sports betting, the first thing you need to understand is the American moneyline system. The moneyline is how bets are priced at all US-facing sportsbooks. (European and Asian markets use fractional odds and decimal odds.)

Each wager has a moneyline to price your risk vs. reward, and straight wagers use the moneyline to also show you which teams are favorites and which are underdogs (see above).