Upon doing some research, it came to my attention that of the 27 European Union member States, Malta is the only country in which the minimum age to enter a casino is 25 years. This concerns me because I believe that, as a Maltese citizen, I should have equal rights to those citizens of other EU member States.
You can vote at 18 but not enter a casino
The pie chart identifies the age requirement to enter a casino in the 27 member States: 21 countries out of the 27 have the age limit set at 18. These include Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Holland, to name a few.
Sweden has the age limit set at over 20.
The blue sector of the pie chart represents the four EU countries with an age limit set of 21. These are Belgium, Estonia, Lithuania and Greece.
In the yellow sector is the only member State that has the age limit set at over 25. Needless to say, this is Malta.
It has been like this for as long as one can remember and has never been talked about by neither political party nor any person, for that matter.
I have to point out that the same games that are offered at the casino can be easily accessed nowadays through the internet. One would be able to get into a game of online poker within minutes, as long as one has a debit card and is over the age of 18.
Hence, the contradiction exists as to why one is allowed to play such games over the internet but when it comes to entering a casino, that is simply out of the question until, that is, one reaches the age of 25. Perhaps the only consequence one might think of is the fact that the casino’s clientele would get a surge of young adults, who would, according to some, ruin the traditional environment that exists in our casinos.
Speaking to people about this matter, I realised that gambling at the casino is still deemed to be a taboo. I am not saying that excessive gambling should be facilitated but those able to control themselves should not be made to suffer because of the excesses of others.
The fact that someone under the age of 25 is not allowed to participate in a poker tournament at the casino say once a month is something that really irks me. I am sure those poker players still under 25 will identify with what I am trying to say.
While perhaps casino games, such as roulette or blackjack, tend to always favour the house, games such as No Limit Texas Hold’em only require the players to pay a minimal fee to the casino itself while the rest of the money will be divided in cash prizes among the players.
In recent years, the game of poker has become extremely popular with millions of people playing poker over the internet while casino tournaments all over the continents continue to increase in numbers. Professional poker players travel from one country to another to participate in such tournaments.
In 2009, Joe Cada became the youngest ever World Champion of Poker at the age of 21. This young world champion would not be able to play in a casino had he been born in Malta.
In Malta, those who have attained the age of 16 are allowed to bet on football, play the lotto and buy scratch cards. So, while one can spend all one’s money on such bets, the same person is not allowed to enter a casino because of the taboo that he will gamble all his money.
My point is not that there will not be people who will get addicted and lose a substantial amount of their capital. What I am trying to say is that there are already multiple ways as to how one can legally gamble away one’s money, including through online gambling.
One must stop trying to see the bad in everything.
The fact that one spends, say, €100 a month to play a few games of poker at the casino should not be seen as a taboo. There are a vast number of hobbies that will cost you money nowadays. So, by the same reasoning, should a 25-year age limit be imposed so those who are still immature would not lose money?
There is then the possibility that those playing poker might also win their money back.
In addition, one should also bear in mind the fact that young adults are likely to tell you that there are not enough places of entertainment available to them.
If it were up to me, I would lower the age limit for entrance into casinos to 18. However, I do understand that perhaps not everybody argues in the same way I do. So, compromising and setting the age limit to 21 could be a first step.
I am not asking for something that will be exclusive to Malta. As a European citizen, I am asking to enjoy the same right as other European citizens. While somebody from any of the other 26 EU member States is allowed to enter casinos if s/he is 18 or over, a Maltese citizen who is 24 years old is denied the same right.
The same Maltese citizen who, at the age of 18, is allowed to vote, consume alcohol, purchase tobacco, obtain a driving licence, have consensual sex and get married is denied the right to enter a casino.
After sharing my opinion with the Office of the Prime Minister in the previous Administration, I was contacted to be informed that my complaint was noted. I hope that the present Government continues to give attention to those who, like me, feel they are in a minority and take the necessary action.
Christopher Agius is a second year student in the Bachelor of Laws course at the University of Malta.