Tennessee Betting Laws + Gaming Statutes
Has there ever been a hobby in the United States that faces as much scrutiny as gambling? Despite its massive popularity and the fact that, when enjoyed responsibly, there a few hobbies that can provide more excitement and even the potential of profit, gambling has constantly come under fire from federal and state congresses.
Worse than the actual laws affecting the hobby however, are the rampant misinformation and poor assumptions concerning the Tennessee gambling laws that run rampant and convince many citizens that legal gambling is not a possibility even when that is not the case. While the federal laws that govern gambling declare that, in most cases, its unregulated facilitation is not allowed, states are given ample wiggle room to add further legislation on the subject. Tennessee is one of those states, and while it may be harder for native Volunteers to gamble than those in some other states, it is not impossible.
TennesseeGamblingLaws.com will guide all of our readers through the rocky landscape of legal gambling in Tennessee as well as attempt to point them in the safest directions possible to take part in their new hobby regularly. We're going to review numerous important things to consider including gambling ages and more, so you might want to go ahead and bookmark this page. If this site helps you, kindly recommend us to your friends.
Legality of Gambling in Tennessee - Is It Legal To Bet?
When delivering both good and bad news, we find it always best to start with the bad news and work up from there. The bad news for residents of Tennessee who wish to gamble is that they are in fact not allowed to do so within an unregulated setting in their home state. Chapter 39-17-501 section 1 of Tennessee state legislation defines gambling as “risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance.”
This is a fairly damaging and all inclusive definition of gambling. However, there is good news. “Gambling” in Tennessee is a class C misdemeanor, the lowest classification for any crime in the state. The penalties for such a crime are a $50 fine as well as up to 30 days in jail. With such a light penalty attached, it’s no surprise that the mere act of gambling in Tennessee is not widely prosecuted. In fact, one has to go all the way back to the 1800’s before they can find an instance of any otherwise honest resident brought in on charges for gambling within the state.
However, this is not to give the impression that all prospective gamblers are given free reign in Tennessee. While it’s true that those who are merely guilty of “gambling” will face any legal trouble for doing so, those within the state must be careful to avoid what the Tennessee legislation refers to as “Gambling Promotion.” Penalties for this violation are more severe, and those found guilty are sure to be prosecuted to the fullest extent that the law allows.
Tennessee is unique in the aspect that there are actually two separate classes for the crime of gambling promotion. In most cases, “gambling promotion” lands Tennessee residents a class B misdemeanor which can land an offender up to six months in jail as well as a $500 legal fine. However, if the act is found to be a conspiracy, (involving more than one offender in accordance with Tennessee Law) the perpetrators could be charged with “aggravated gambling promotion,” which is a class E felony. This carries a sentence of anywhere between one to six years in prison, and fines ranging from $500-$1000.
How Gambling Promotion Varies From Ordinary Gambling
If the prospect of actually being persecuted for a crime makes some Tennessee residents nervous, there is little cause for concern. Tennessee gambling laws draws the distinction between “gambling,” and incredibly minor offense that law agencies will not prosecute and “gambling promotion,” a serious crime that could land an offender with a felony charge is actually very clear.
Where as one who is merely “gambling” wishes to place a bet on an event or game of chance or skill, one who is “promoting gambling” makes placing this bet possible by taking it, and operates these bets and wagers in such a way that they are in the position to make a profit. To be clear, when the law specifies making a “profit” from gambling, they do not mean placing wise bets and profiting from the actual gambling event, they mean that the guilty party was in a position to profit from gambling regardless of whether they placed a wager or not.
The most popular means of doing this are by operating any traditional casino game as the “house,” (who by definition, always has a higher chance of winning,) operating a sportsbook where one is responsible for collecting money from losing bets and paying out winning bets, or hosting a private poker game in which they charge admission or collect a “rake” (a small percentage of each pot that goes to the house as profit.)
Just so long as anyone gambling in Tennessee avoids these specific actions, they will be free of a “gambling promotion” charge, or indeed, any charge related to gambling at all.
Guide To Gambling Laws in Tennessee
Tennessee Sports Betting Laws
When the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was passed through the Federal Courts in 1992, in banned the facilitation of sports betting in all fifty states with the exception of four. Unsurprisingly, Tennessee was not one of those states left exempt from the law. As such, there are no brick and mortar sports betting facilities to be found anywhere with state lines.
However, the act of sports betting is treated just the same as “gambling” in Tennessee, meaning that no legal penalties await those who merely participate in sports betting. Thousands of residents have turned to legal online sportsbooks in order to fulfill all their betting needs.
Tennessee Casino Laws
Unfortunately for those living in the Volunteer State who have at least a passing interest in playing casino games for real money, there are no state sanctioned gambling facilities within Tennessee borders. Whereas some states that do not sanction gambling may allow for special cases concerning federally exempt tribal casinos, none of these are present in Tennessee.
The closest that Tennessee residents can get to gambling on land in their home state is a bus line that specializes in bringing Tennessee residents up to Indiana, by way of Kentucky, for riverboat casino cruises.
Tennessee Poker Laws
Due to the massive popularity of poker in the United States, many state laws exempt the game from the definition of “gambling” by classifying it as a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Tennessee is no such state, and as a result there are no legal, land based poker rooms to be found within the state.
For fans of poker, they may rest assured that gambling is not prosecuted within their state, which leaves the door open for private home games (so long as no one falls into the definition of “promoting gambling”) among friends as well as wagering with legal online poker rooms. If one craves a casino experience to play poker, unfortunately, a road trip is in order.
Legal Gambling Age In Tennessee
Tennessee gambling laws come off as fairly strict. While it’s possible for otherwise honest citizens to work around them and find a means to gamble legally, it’s incredibly unwise to do so if one is under the age of 18, the legal gambling age in the state of Tennessee. By wagering underage, a resident of the Volunteer State can turn an act they would not even be prosecuted for into a criminal action that will lead to steep legal fines and community service, and not the kind the admission boards to colleges like. In order to avoid any unnecessary complications, we cannot stress enough the importance of waiting until one is of legal age to gamble.
General |
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18 |
Lottery |
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18 |
Casinos |
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N/A |
Poker |
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N/A |
Pari-Mutuel |
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18 |
Bingo |
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N/A |
Safe Gambling Options For Tennessee Residents
On-Land:
In Tennessee, the options to gamble in a social, casino environment are sadly narrowed to the point of being non-existent. Within the entire square footage of the Volunteer State, nary a casino exists. While there is a bus line that specializes in offering gambling trips, they only do so by transporting Tennessee residents across Kentucky to the legal casinos in Indiana.
While it’s true that a strong underground presence for gambling exists in Tennessee, it is not advisable to go down this route. Even though players caught betting with illicit gambling operations are still not charged with anything (only the facilitators are) it’s still an incredibly unsafe action. Not do such players automatically associate themselves with a criminal element, by trusting uninsured operations with their hard earned money, they are putting that money at a great risk to disappear and never return.
Online/Web-Based:
Luckily for Tennessee residents eager for legal gambling options in their home state, the internet was brought into existence. Through the utilization of legal gambling websites, hundreds of thousands of loyal Volunteers in Tennessee have been gambling for the better part of a decade.
Those who have been following along closely may be wondering how it’s possible for these websites to remain legal and open to prospective gamblers in Tennessee, especially in a state known for coming down hard on illicit gambling operations. The answer is simple: location. These gambling networks were established and are maintained overseas, meaning they are well outside not only Tennessee but federal jurisdiction as well. Since we have already established that gambling is not prosecuted and that these websites are able to operate and serve Tennessee residents legally, we can deduce that we have a perfectly safe hobby on our hands for those who want to gamble on their own terms.
While the idea of gambling with a foreign business can be nerve racking, there is no cause for concern. Since these sites are all endorsed by overseas gaming commissions, they are all held to ridiculously high standards merely to stay in business. More than that, all the gambling networks endorsed on this page have done more than stay in business, they have positively thrived. These gambling sites have racked up pages upon pages of positive customer testimony and earned endorsements from US media giants and are cited by major sports news networks. No member will have to worry about their money invested in any of these legal gambling sites open to Tennessee residents as they are as safe and sound as can possibly be.
Tennessee Friendly Gambling Sites
Bovada Sportsbook

Go To Source For Betting Volunteer Football + Tennessee Titans
If you have a need for the absolute best gambling site in the business, your search could very well begin and end with Bovada. After legally serving US citizens for over 20 years, this gambling network has cemented itself as the destination for legal gambling in the public eye, and no one else has even come close. With Bovada, members may peruse thousands of betting lines on sports games, participate in heart-pounding poker action in several different tournaments of just relax on some digital slots, it’s all there for you, and it’s all done on top-notch software, meaning you never need worry about performance.
Where Bovada shines is in showing off their devotion to customers. Just one example are the array of sign-up bonuses available to players. If they wish, when signing up to play poker, players can receive 100% of their deposits right back in their accounts, leading to dozens of free play opportunities, which just means more winnings. The first bet we always recommend you make is on Bovada!
Breakdown of The Best Tennessee Gambling Sites
Disclaimer - How To Get More Help
Even though the staff here on TennesseeGamblingLaws.com is supremely confident that our readers' experiences will be positive if sticking to our accurate and well-researched info, however it must be noted that we are not lawyers, merely passionate gamblers. If you need further clarification on the laws, we recommend that readers view the language of the laws for themselves, found at www.legislature.state.tn.us, or go a step further by seeking out qualified legal advice from a licensed professional in your state. Having peace of mind when choosing whether to gamble, and even where/how to gamble, is extremely important which makes understanding Tennessee gambling laws all that much more critical; trust your research!