What should be the legal gambling age in a casino? (Poll Closed)

I know this will cause some grief; 18 should be the legal age for both alcohol consumption and casino gaming. I notice that most of you, almost 2 to 1, feel 21 should be the appropriate age.

Here is my very simple reason for the 18 argument - at the age of 18, young people can vote. They can also enlist in military service for this country (walking through our local super-market, many young faces of those serving are posted. There are a number of 18, 19, and 20 year olds that have made the ultimate sacrifice posted, as well.). If an 18 year old (sometimes younger) young person commits a crime, they would be treated as an adult. At the age of 18, people can enter into a legally binding contract and must abide by it's terms. The list goes on. If we allow these responsibilities, why should we not allow consumption of alcohol or gambling?

We expect 18 year olds to be young, responsible adults. Why shouldn't that expectation apply to the entertainment found in a casino?

All valid points, Dan. However, the primary issue is that the prefrontal cortex is shown not to be fully developed until the age of 25. That is the area of the brain that basically deals with recognizing the difference between long-term responsible decisions and immediate gratification. Therefore, it leads to the behavior of "chasing losses" to the extent of becoming presonally damaging, which has further repercussions no family members that must pull them up from the muck. That is also the reason that you see more pre-25 year olds driving so wildly! : )
This is from a former Marine who used the same argument that he should be allowed to drink on base, by the way.

Dan makes the logical argument, if you expect them at 18 to have sufficient intelligence to vote, marry, have kids and die for their country then they should be able to gamble. Pit, on the other hand makes the physiological point that males (in particular) have not developed sufficiently enough (mentally) until they are 25 to make any/many reasonable decisions with due regard to the actual consequences. Dan’s argument has the superior weight but, wouldn’t it be a different (better) society if 25 was the age of consent(?) – more informed voting patterns, fewer short term marriages, fewer children born out of wedlock (committed relationships) and not being raised in a stable mother/father environment adequately funded and less gung ho young males who don’t question the wisdom of war as a first resort (imagine how much sooner American society would have rejected involvement in Vietnam had the military not had so many 18,19 & 20 year olds who were deficient of the wherewithal to question the sense to continue in that farce). One final thought, in my experience problem gamblers chasing losses do not come from one age demographic – its just that the younger ones usually have less to lose.

Dan, Pit, and Jon all make good points and I believe that 18 year olds should be able to gamble in a casino. Actually, 18 year olds in Oklahoma are able to game in certain casino's that do not serve alcohol.

If an 18 years can have the responsability of driving, he can be a responsabel player!

Pit has the best argument for this one. The age for joining the military, driving a car, drinking alcohol, receiving a retirement from social security, etc., should not be used to set the age for gambling. Personally, I think that anyone dumb enough to waste their minds and money on gambling or drinking should be locked away-he he, just joking. I do however, feel it is better for everyone to have the legal age for gaming to be on the higher side, but as for the military, I joined at 17, and it really helped. We shouldn't confuse one issue as being on the same par as another. Yeah a soldier may die, but so do little kids in neighborhoods with punk gangs around. It's a totally different argument.

In California the legal age to gamble is 18. They can buy a lottery ticket and play at casinos. If California is already doing it, why wouldn't the other states jump on board?

I've been in the gaming industry for many years and I have a 20 year old daughter and I would vote to allow her to gamble. Not because I'm in the industry, but because she's very responsible. She's married, with a son and is going to college and works. She handles her role as a mother, wife, student and co-worker very well. So that crap about the brain not being fully developed is a load of *&^%$. It may be true in laboratory monkeys or rats, but not with the human factor. If that was true then we need to send all the men and woman defending our country back home, for they couldn't have had the brains to enlist. We all have to face the fact we live on a planet where we must share oxygen with idiots and Pit is the leader. We give 18 year olds the right to buy cigarettes and to smoke themselves into cancer, but we won't let them gamble? Jeez...all it is video games, cards and dice…lighten up…next you’ll say that yahtzee is harmful…

age to 21

hey

i think it should be about 25 cya peoples

i think it should be highered to 21 years old cos 18 is to young.

hi adem

shut up rayden i know you and your gay