Casino In Tennessee
Contents
Land-Based Casino Options in Tennessee No, there are no land-based casinos in the state of Tennessee. While we expected a conservative southern state to ban commercial casinos, we were surprised to see that the Volunteer State doesn’t even have tribal casinos. Tunica, Mississippi is the nearest casino town to most residents of Tennessee. Less than an hour from Memphis by car, and only about three hours from Nashville, Tunica is home to a number of gambling venues, from small OTB racinos to full-scale casino resort properties with table games and live shows.
Tennessee, the home of country music and amazing barbecue, is extremely conservative when gambling is concerned. Without a doubt, it’s one of the most restrictive states in the US.
To further promote its conservatism, the Volunteer State doesn’t have any land-based casinos within its borders. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean its residents can’t have a legit gambling experience online. So, let’s see what is the current situation of online gambling in Tennessee.
Top 5 Tennessee Online Casinos
Is Online Gambling Legal in Tennessee?
Compared to other US states, Tennessee can be considered a bit contradictory. Let us explain — one of the conditions to legalize online gambling is to have land-based casinos partner up with online operators. Well, Tennessee has done the exact opposite.
The state doesn’t have any land-based casinos, however, it has legalized online sports betting. And, that is the only form of online gambling legal in the state. Online sports betting operators need to have agreements with national sports leagues.
First off, daily fantasy sports have been legalized in 2016, which has been an enormous step forward for the Volunteer State. In 2019, Tennessee has made online sports betting legal. By doing so, it became the first state in the US to have online sports betting as the only legal form of gambling.
We still can’t say with certainty when we will see the launch of online sportsbooks in TN, but, that will be the only possible way of placing bets — no land-based and retail sportsbooks will be introduced.
In 2017, there has been an attempt to make casinos legal, but it took the committee less than a month to turn that proposal down. Up until today, there have been no additional attempts to legalize casinos, land-based or online.
All operators willing to operate in Tennessee will have to pay $750,000 annually to renew their licenses. While it’s a big price to pay, we still believe operators see the potential of operating on the Tennessee market.
Future of Online Gambling in Tennessee
The timetable for legalizing online gambling in TN doesn’t exist. While we want to believe that the legalization of online sports betting has only been the start of something bigger, we might have to come to terms with the fact that it might not happen anytime soon.
Making any forms of casino gambling legal doesn’t seem to be a priority to the Tennessee government. Moreover, at one point, the governor Bill Lee said that he’s thankful to the state lawmakers for managing to avoid building any land-based casinos within the state borders.
With that in mind, Tennessee residents continue to travel across the borders to visit other land-based casinos in their vicinity. If the state of Tennessee were to legalize any forms of gambling in the future, we believe it would be online casinos, and no land-based casinos will be built in the near future.
Land-Based Casino Options in Tennessee
No, there are no land-based casinos in the state of Tennessee. While we expected a conservative southern state to ban commercial casinos, we were surprised to see that the Volunteer State doesn’t even have tribal casinos.
The reason behind this goes back a long time — in the 1830s all tribes east of Mississippi were forcibly moved to the frontier. And even today, there are no federally recognized tribes that would run tribal casinos.
Other Gambling Options in TN
We have found very few gambling options available to the Tennessee residents. The state doesn’t have any race tracks or betting shops. The only form of betting that’s legal is the off-track betting on horse racing. Betting on greyhounds is forbidden in Tennessee.
Even charitable gambling isn’t completely legal — you can participate in the annual raffle and cakewalks, but these events are small compared to other states. Social Gambling is somewhat legal, but you need to be careful when choosing the type of social game because some of them can be illegal.
The only form of casino gambling that’s legal in Tennessee is a free-play social casino — there are prizes, but they aren’t money-related. You can play games in these social casinos for amusement.
Casinos In Nashville Tennessee
The State Lottery is legal. It was established in 2003, and the first ticket was sold in 2004. Tennessee residents can now buy Mega Millions and Powerball tickets and participate in the State Lottery.
If you want to try out real money casino games, you can do so in offshore online casinos. However, you should be careful when you’re choosing which offshore casino to play in. These online gaming platforms don’t fall under the state’s jurisdiction, and therefore the state laws don’t apply to them.
On the one hand, that’s a good thing, but, if something goes wrong, you can’t rely on the Tennessee authorities for help. Because of that, you should always check out the offshore casino, and choose a reliable and trustworthy one.
FAQ
Unfortunately, online casinos aren’t legal in the state of Tennessee. The state has only legalized online sports betting, but there are no land-based casinos these online sportsbooks can partner up with.
There are no strict laws regarding offshore gambling sites. Therefore, we can’t say they are legal or illegal. They simply don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee authorities. The residents can play in offshore casinos, however, they need to be careful when choosing which site they want to play on.
If you want to partake in any gambling activity in the state of Tennessee, you need to be older than 21. This is the most common legal age for gambling throughout the United States.
Interestingly enough, the state of Tennessee doesn’t have any land-based casinos. The only legal land-based gambling options in TN are betting on horse races in certain facilities, and some forms of charitable gambling.
No, unfortunately, online poker isn’t legalized in Tennessee. However, if you want to play online poker, you can do so in offshore online casinos that accept players from the United States. Offshore gaming isn’t prohibited, and players from the US won’t be persecuted for taking part in offshore gambling activities.
You won’t find any online casinos in Tennessee or TN casino apps currently operating within the confines of the stare.
Tennessee state has a reputation as one of the states where land-based and online casino gambling infrastructure is not available because of its firm anti-gambling policies.
Therefore, the only way you can gamble for real money is by taking part in the Tennessee-regulated lottery or place wagers on horse races online.
Nonetheless, have you ever wondered what the future of casino gambling in the state looks like? Well, if you’re interested in finding out whether there is hope for the legalization for online casinos in Tennessee, keep reading and find out what the future may look like!
Harrah's Casino In Nashville Tn
Possible Online Casinos Tennessee Operators
As we speak, there hasn’t been any movement towards the regulation of online casinos. Although online sports betting has been legalized, there has been no talk of online casinos.
Moreover, now and again, there have been vocal politicians who have come out strongly against establishing online casinos in Tennessee. As a result, you will find that many Tennessee locals have to travel to neighboring states to engage in casino gaming. Those who can’t choose to play in offshore online casinos.
Although Tennessee is among the anti-gambling States in the US, many other offshore online casinos have no problems about accepting players based in Tennessee. Even so, you could find yourself rubbing shoulders with the law in a Class C misdemeanor offense if you are found guilty of participating in online casino games like poker.
To that effect, we think that soon enough, tables may turn and Tennessee locals may finally have a chance to enjoy TN online casinos gaming. And when that day comes, here are some of the finest online casinos that we think will be in line to serve players residing in Tennessee.
Betfair Casino
Betfair Casino operates in partnership with the FanDuel Group. It is among the oldest online casinos that provide online gambling services to players around the globe. The casino started back in 1999. It went on to become one of the most dominant names in the business world over.
At the moment, the casino is registered under Malta Gaming Authority. When they entered the USA market, they are currently serving under licenses in New Jersey, among other States. The casino is widely known for providing a broad variety of top-notch casino games. Those range from an assortment of table games, slots, and live dealer games.
Here, right after you finish setting up your account, you will enjoy lucrative bonuses that are set up for both newbies and ongoing members. For sure, all you need for an entertaining and profitable gambling session is available at Betfair. Once it goes live, it will be an excellent platform for any interested parties even gamers who would like to play on mobile using TN casino apps.
Is it legal to Play at Online Casino in TN?
The Tennessee Code, Chapter 39, covers illegal gambling. As we’ve already mentioned, the definition of gambling in TN is rather unclear and vague. In general, betting on valuables or money on luck-centered activities are considered illegal.
State officials are free to argue to a certain extent that those rules also apply to online casino games. But the law, in the end, isn’t strong enough or clear for individual online gamblers to be prosecuted. In the worst-case scenario, an online casino participant could be charged with a Class C Misdemeanor.
To make things more transparent for you, some of the Tennessee gambling laws are:
- No online gambling –Online casino in TN and online poker is banned.
- Operating land-based casinos and playing in them is illegal
- No charitable gaming is allowed since it was banned in 1989, except for cakewalks and annual raffles
- Lottery betting is permitted. Examples of the ones you can take part in are: Powerball, Mega Millions and State Lottery
- The minimum gambling age is 18yrs for the few legal activities
Casino In Tennessee Maps
Final Words
Currently, things are very tight in Tennessee, and it is unclear when online casinos will become legal in the state.
Despite the current state of affairs, we are crossing our fingers. We hope that Tennessee will follow what other states like New Jersey are doing to repeal their laws on gambling. And if that happens, locals will finally be able to play in their own state legal TN online casinos!