Casinos in Idaho

Try your hand at casinos in Idaho

Idaho, the 43^rd state, is situated in the Western portion of the United States and covers over 80,000 square miles on land, within which near to 1 million 250,000 reside. As well as this, Idaho is home to some really great Indian land based casinos. Idaho is an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place, and those visiting are in for a real treat, well away from the loud hustle and bustle of the big city life. Idaho casinos have been conveniently placed throughout the state, so as not to disturb the peace.

Luckily, the state of Idaho has relaxed legal rules when it comes to gambling within the state and whether you actually live in Idaho, or were looking for a few nights away with your friends or spouse, there is sure to be a casino to satisfy all your gaming requirements. There is the option to play at the smaller establishments, with only a few hand-picked selection of gaming offerings, or there are the larger resorts which boast many game choices as well as cozy and comforting hotels so you can spend the night (or two) if you wish. The great thing about opting to stay at a resort is that everything is right there for you—restaurants, rooms, outdoor activities, parking and much more. It might be interesting for you to learn that the minimum gambling age all across Idaho is 18, which is quite refreshing as it is slightly younger than the usual age of 21 seen in many other states.

The most popular game played in the casinos  would have to be the electronic pull tab machines and you are likely to find more options on these games than any other. More than this, the casinos in Idaho are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring that you will never miss a moment to win big.

So, for an all round great city to gamble in, Idaho has it all—from  smaller, more intimate, establishments to larger resorts which will keep you entertained for hours on end.

Idaho Gambling Laws

Gambling opportunities of the Gem State are pretty limited. Although there are numerous of tribes across the state, they offer only a few types of gambling with a strict abidance of the state laws’ prohibitions.

Tribal Casinos

As of the moment, there are five Native Americans in Idaho is 5 (It’se-Ye-Ye Bingo & Casino and Fort Hall Casino are among them). They all offer limited gambling pastimes: Class 2 video slots, which include bingo-type slot machines, as well as progressive slots. Craps, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker and keno are prohibited in Idaho. Players must be at least 18 years old to be allowed to enter the casinos.

Sports Betting

Live horse racing and live in-state dog racing are sanctioned by the state through pari-mutuel betting. They may take place only in the licensed racing tracks. The Historic Horse Race betting has been allowed here since 2013, but, recently, the state Senate voted to pass the Bill 1011 that outlaws this kind of bets. So, if it passes in the House, all 250 state-approved instant racing devices will have to be removed. Pool and billiards betting are also allowed in Idaho. The legal age limit for pari-mutuel betting is 18 years old.

Lottery

The most popular legal form of gambling in Idaho is the State Lottery, which includes Mega Millions and PowerBall with many prizes. Scratch-card games are also approved by the state government. The players who win over $5,000 pay a 25% federal tax rate as well as a 7.4% state tax rate. Anyone over 18 years is permitted to purchase the lottery ticket.

Charitable Gambling

Raffle and Bingo are permitted in Idaho as long as they are conducted by a non-profit organization or a charitable institution (detailed description there is in the Idaho Statutes). Obtaining permit is still mandatory before any raffle event takes place. Otherwise, a civil penalty amounting to $10,000 per violation will be implemented. Raffle drawings must occur within the state for them to be legal. 18 years old is the minimum age for raffle and bingo players.

Online Gambling

Although there are no explicit statutes banning online gambling, it also is illegal. Jeff Anderson, the executive director of the state Lottery, stated two years ago that there are no plans to suggest looking into the matter concerning online gambling in Idaho. After that statement nothing has changed, so, it’s is difficult to predict that this state will ever open its doors to online gambling in the nearest future.

Online Poker

It should be noted that Idaho is one of the few US states that explicitly mentions online poker as one of the prohibited forms of gambling. But the players from Idaho can choose from a lot of US-facing online poker sites, as all of the major brands accept gamblers from this state.