What is the Gambling Age on a Cruise Ship?

Answer:
Individual cruise lines are free to set their own minimal gambling age,

so there is no one specific answer. Some ships use the age of majority (18) as a minimum gambling age, while others use the legal age of adulthood (21) as their minimum. There are even a few cruise lines which require onboard casino guests to at least 25 years of age.

When it comes to setting rules for such adult activities as gambling or alcohol consumption, many cruise lines are considered independent of their port countries' laws. Many casinos in the United States, for example, use 21 as a minimum age for gambling, but a number of cruise lines that depart from US ports allow 18 year olds to gamble onboard. There may be a restriction until the ship has entered international waters, but the cruise line is not restricted by the laws of a particular land.

Some cruise lines may link the minimum gambling age with the minimum drinking age in order to avoid confusion in the casinos. This could mean legal adulthood (21) would be the enforced minimum for both activities, or 18 year old passengers could be served alcohol legally in the casinos. Once a ship arrives at a port of call, however, the laws of the land would apply.

Enforcement of a minimal gambling age is generally left up to the ship's employees and internal security, so it is possible that an underage passenger may be able to enter a casino with a legal adult without presenting identification. Many cruise ship staff members avoid appearing too aggressive when it comes to "carding" their passengers. Once an underage passenger attempts to place a bet or order an alcoholic beverage, however, the game operator or server does have the right to refuse service or ask the guests to leave the gambling area.

If gambling is on your agenda while taking a cruise, you may want to ask your travel agent or cruise line representative about the minimal gambling age while onboard and other rules concerning taxes on winnings or access to money services such as ATMs. Cruise ship casinos are somewhat notorious for being exceptionally tight, which means the house (ship) takes in far more money than it pays out in winnings. Even if you qualify for the minimum gambling age, you may want to use good financial sense and only spend an amount of money you can afford to lose.


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