There are seven tribal casinos in Idaho: Coeur D’Alene (Worley), Fort Hall Casino (Fort Hall), Clearwater River Casino and Lodge (Lewiston), Kootenai River Inn Casino & Spa (Bonners Ferry), It’ Se Ye-Ye Casino (Kamiah), Bannock Peak (Pocatello), and Sage Hill Travel Center & Casino (Blackfoot). Ultimately, participating in illegal gambling is a misdemeanor offense, but online players have never been prosecuted despite the popularity of online gaming in the state. It's difficult to determine whether state gambling laws apply to online gaming, as they have not been updated for the digital age.

Idaho has not regulated any form of online gambling, which leaves Idaho online gambling enthusiasts in a kind of legal limbo, since there are no state laws that specifically refer to offshore gambling sites. Pari-mutuel wagering, tribal casinos, and bingoġ8 for pari-mutuel, bingo, and lotteries 21 for casinos The minimum gambling age in Idaho is 18, but it's 21 for casinos.

Many gambling-related matters are covered by Idaho Statutes 18-3801 et seq. Participating in unlawful gambling is a misdemeanor and is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for up six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. This definition is broad enough to cover internet games, even though it doesn’t directly address the matter of online gambling. Gambling in Idaho is defined as “risking any money, credit, deposit or other thing of value for gain contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, the operation of a gambling device or the happening or outcome of an event, including a sporting event, the operation of casino gambling including, but not limited to, blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, baccarat, or keno.” These activities are tightly regulated, and the authorities are adamant about enforcing the law.Įven DFS companies, which are allowed to operate in most US states, were forced out of the Idaho market upon reaching an agreement with the state attorney general. Over the years, exceptions were made for pari-mutuel horse race betting (1963), state lottery games (1989), tribal gaming (1992), charitable bingo and raffles (1993), off-track betting (2011), and historical horse racing (HHR) games (2013). Everything changed in 1953 when the legislature passed a statewide prohibition law.

Throughout the 1800s, gambling in Idaho was popular and regulated by individual towns.

Slot machine law by state