The idea to lower Nevadas legal gambling age percolated after a veteran asked Assemblyman Jim Wheeler a simple question. <\/p>\n
The man, who had served in Afghanistan, asked Wheeler how a person could be old enough vote or fight in wars but be considered too young to legally gamble. <\/p>\n
I didnt really have an answer for him, Wheeler, R-Gardnerville, said last week. <\/p>\n
And thus Assembly Bill 86, which seeks to lower Nevadas legal gambling age from 21 to 18, was born. <\/p>\n
No one in the gaming industry has raised the idea to the commission in nearly a decade, said Tony Alamo, chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, so the bill came out of left field to him. <\/p>\n
The industry has not come to us with any wants for dropping this. Everyones happy with 21 years of age, he said. <\/p>\n
Alamo said he wondered if this is a solution for a problem that doesnt exist. <\/p>\n
Wheeler said the goal is simply to start a dialogue on whether 21 is the correct threshold. <\/p>\n
I just wanted to have the conversation more than anything, Wheeler said. <\/p>\n
There is some precedent for allowing people under 21 to gamble in certain circumstances across the U.S. <\/p>\n
Several casinos on Native American land in other states set the threshold at 18. Some states, like New Jersey and Louisiana, allow 18-year-olds to play bingo, but set the age restriction at 21 for other gambling games such as slot machines, poker and blackjack. <\/p>\n
But dropping the age to 18 on all gambling in Nevada would present a list of issues, Alamo said most notably the interaction between gambling and alcohol. <\/p>\n
With both gambling and drinking having the same 21-year-old threshold, casino workers do not have to verify the person sitting at a poker table is old enough to order a drink, Alamo said. Allowing 18-year-olds to sit down at a slot machine or poker table could get burdensome for workers who would likely have to ask for ID every time someone at gaming table orders a drink, he added. <\/p>\n
Wheeler agreed that those interactions could become a problem, but argued that servers should be checking IDs in casinos anyway. <\/p>\n
Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com<\/a> or 702-383-4683. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more here: <\/p>\n Veteran's question spurred Nevada lawmaker to propose gambling age bill - Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The idea to lower Nevadas legal gambling age percolated after a veteran asked Assemblyman Jim Wheeler a simple question. The man, who had served in Afghanistan, asked Wheeler how a person could be old enough vote or fight in wars but be considered too young to legally gamble Continue reading