A new bill that has been introduced to the competent regulatory authorities in Nevada could lower the legal gambling age in the state to 18. According to some media reports, this idea was considered in 2008, but it has never resulted in creating a legislative act. At the legislative season-opening day at the beginning of the week, the piece of legislation was one of the 200 Bills considered by the competent authorities in Nevada.
The Assembly Bill No. 86 has been initiated by Jim Wheeler, an Assemblyman. It would not only set the legal gambling age to 18, but will also allow individuals who are at least 18 years old to work in casinos across the State of Nevada. What is more, the new Bill would change the punishment intended for underage gambling, changing its definition from misdemeanor to a delinquent act. The persons under the age of 18 are to be considered as minors, so their cases would be headed to a juvenile court, and the casino operators could be penalised for allowing underage individuals to gamble.
Under the provisions of the new Assembly Bill, no individuals under the age of 21 would be allowed to drink alcohol in local casino venues.
Possible Impact
The proposed Bill No. 86 could have an impact on all land-based poker rooms across the state. Currently, the legal age in the state is 21, as in most US states. Still, there are a number of states that allow individuals who turned 18 years old to gamble.
Lately, the gaming market in the state have been facing certain difficulties, which made it pretty stagnant, despite the fact that the casinos in Nevada are considered as a great contributor to overall revenue. In 2016, local gambling hubs have generated a revenue estimated to $11.26 billion, with the result representing a 1.3% increase in comparison to the revenue generated in 2015. Still, the revenue in 2016 was quite moderate compared to the one of previous years, such as the $12.85 billion generated back in 2017.
So, lowering the legal gambling age to 18 could result in a revenue increase for the industry, including in poker rooms. If the Bill passes, this could lead to a substantial increase of the visitors and active players at casinos and poker rooms, and respectively, in the number of entries for the World Series of Poker this summer.
Still, the Assembly Bill No. 86 could face some difficulties in case that the state lawmakers could not find a proper solution regarding the drinking age of 21. In practice, it would be hard for the casino staff to figure out for themselves if a person has turned 21 in order to be allowed to drink alcohol.
Currently, alcohol is offered to players at every casino across Nevada. What is more, the state’s poker rooms offer free drinks to active players. This could lead to some difficulties for both players and casino/poker rooms staff, so it the competent authorities are left with the hard task of finding a proper solution to the major questions related to the situation.
- Author
Daniel Williams
