Casinos: The Effects of Casinos - Underage Gambling

The legal gambling age in all commercial casinos in the United States is twenty-one, and in tribal casinos it varies from eighteen to twenty-one.

AGA's 2003 State of the States survey asked participants about who they thought bore the most responsibility for addressing the problem of underage gambling in the United States. Survey respondents indicated that the owners of gambling facilities should be held most responsible (39%), followed by gamblers themselves (24%) and society at large (22%). When asked to rate the job that the casino gaming industry was doing in preventing underage gambling, a majority (65%) rated the casino industry as doing a fairly good or very good job. The reputation of the casino industry in doing a good job in preventing "underage use of their product" was superior to that of the tobacco (30%), alcohol (38%), and gun (42%) industries.

TABLE 6.5

Minors and casinos in Detroit, Michigan, 2003
		MGM Grand 1/1/03–12/31/03	MotorCity 1/1/03–12/31/03	Greektown 1/1/03–12/31/03
SOURCE: "Casino Licensees' Reported Contacts with Minors on Licensed Casino Premises during Calendar Year 2003," in Michigan Gaming Control Board Annual Report to the Governor, Calendar Year 2003, Michigan Gaming Commission, April 15, 2004, http://www.michigan.gov/documents/annrep03_88990_7.pdf (accessed September 28, 2004)
1.	The number of minors who were denied entry into the casino.	796	4,822	1073
2.	The number of minors who were physically escorted from the casino premises.	13	3	13
3.	The number of minors who were detected participating in gambling games other than slot machines.	4	2	2
4.	The number of minors who were detected using slot machines.	1	0	2
5.	The number of minors who were taken into custody by a law enforcement agency on the casino premises.	13	3	0
6.	The number of minors who were detected illegally consuming alcohol on the casino premises.	0	0	1

In 2000 the Nevada Gaming Commission banned slot machines with themes that were "derived from or based on a product currently and primarily intended or marketed for use by persons under twenty-one years of age." The so-called "slots for tots" regulation is supposed to prevent the introduction of slot machines displaying cartoon characters that might appeal to children. The issue receives particular attention in Nevada because the state's casinos allow escorted children to walk through the casino. Most states prohibit the passage of minors through the gambling area.

The Michigan Gaming Control & Revenue Act of 1997 requires the Michigan Gaming Control Board to compile information regarding casino contacts with minors. Table 6.5 shows this information as reported by the three Detroit casinos for calendar year 2003. In total, 6,691 minors tried to enter the casinos, but were denied entry. Twenty-nine minors were caught on casino premises and escorted off the premises by casino personnel. Another sixteen minors were taken into custody by law enforcement agencies.