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Tennessee slot machine casino gambling does not exist. This state has no land-based casinos including commercial or tribal casinos. There are no slot machines available.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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The minimum legal gambling age in Tennessee depends upon the gambling activity:
Article XI, Section 5 of the 2014 Tennessee Constitution prohibits games of chance including slot machines, roulette wheels, and more.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
It is illegal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Tennessee.
Tennessee has no state gaming commission as the state constitution prohibits games of chance. However, it does have both a state lottery commission and a charitable gaming division.
The state lottery commission is the Tennessee Education Lottery (TEL). In late 2002, voters approved the TEL. Tickets began to sell in early 2004. Since then, it has raised more than $4 billion for education programs up to and including two-year college institutions.
The Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming under the Tennessee Secretary of State is responsible for enforcing the Tennessee Nonprofit Gaming Law. This law allows eligible organizations to hold a single, annual games-of-chance fundraising event.
However, approval to hold such an event requires a two-thirds vote of approval by the General Assembly.
There are no casinos in Tennessee.
There are no commercial casinos in Tennessee.
There are no tribal casinos in Tennessee. Further, Tennessee has no federally-recognized American Indian tribes.
As an alternative to enjoying Tennessee slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Tennessee is:
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Tennessee.
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Tennessee? If so, join our new Tennessee slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Tennessee. Join us!
Neither theoretical payout limits nor return statistics are available for Tennessee.
Tennessee slot machine casino gambling does not exist. It has no casinos nor are any slot machines available. Likewise, there are no tribal casinos.
Charitable fundraising events exist with approval from the Tennessee General Assembly. Tennessee has recently expanded its gaming opportunities by legalizing fantasy sports betting. It also has a state lottery.
In the last year, there has been little to no change to the slots gaming industry in Tennessee.
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
In many ways, Tennessee is the state with the most Southern ethos in the US. It’s the home of country music, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, and home to its own style of barbecue. Fittingly, with regard to gambling, Tennessee embodies the ingrained conservatism of the region. Tennessee has no casinos of any sort inside its borders.
So, it came as a bit of a surprise when the Volunteer State moved forward with a bill to legalize sports betting in May 2019. Tennessee is now the first state with sports betting as an online-only enterprise.
Sports betting launched in early November 2020. Three sportsbooks – DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM went live as the first gambling sites in TN.
Tennesseans can also play daily fantasy sports and the lottery, if they choose. Although the selection of gambling games in the state remains limited, things are definitely looking up for games of chance in Tennessee.
Another option for gambling is due to Tennessee’s legalization of daily fantasy sports betting in 2016. In doing so, Tennessee became the third state to conclude that DFS is legal in Tennessee and exempt from its gambling laws. The legalization occurred over the objections of State Attorney General Herbert Slatery. This made it an unusual move, because state governments are rarely at odds with their own law enforcement officials. So, Tennesseans are able to access sites like FanDuel or DraftKings in peace.
A few years later, on May 24, 2019, Tennessee legalized sports betting, but with one big caveat. As Tennessee does not have any land-based casinos, the bill approves online sports betting only — and it’s the first state to have this kind of law. The first bets rolled on Nov. 1 with bettors unable to place them at any kind of land-based or retail sportsbook – just via online or mobile devices only.
Otherwise, pickings are pretty slim in the Volunteer State. There actually was a law on the books for almost 30 years that allowed horse racing venues to be built in the state. Unfortunately, the combination of financial trouble and legal hassles (despite the law, individual counties maintained a modicum of control over their own territories with regard to gambling) prevented any company from actually breaking ground on a track in Tennessee. The law itself was finally repealed in 2015.
Finally, a law to legalize casino gambling in Tennessee was proposed in February 2017 by State Rep.Larry Miller, a Democrat representing the Memphis area. It took less than a month for the bill to die in committee. So, at this time, no further legalization is likely in Tennessee.
Tennessee has some of the broadest laws regarding gambling in the US. The language of its law banning gambling extends to “risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, not including lawful business transactions.” This is striking because the language is so broad, it has to include an exception for the risk inherent in normal business activities.
Along with having options for DFS, Tennesseans are able to bet sports through online sportsbook apps in the state.
As such, even though there is no specific prohibition against online gambling in Tennessee, the overall prohibition could easily be applied to online activities. Given the specified penalties for gambling in the state (which details fines, jail time, confiscation of any associated equipment, and confiscation of any monies used to gamble), players of online gambling games like video poker and online slots could potentially find police in their homes and have their computers and online bankrolls removed from their possession permanently. As for online, the attention of the police continues to be focused on live poker and other gambling right now.
The only exception (as mentioned above) is daily fantasy sports betting. The Fantasy Sports Act of 2016 provides a framework for the licensure of operators within Tennessee. As such, residents can engage in this very limited form of gaming without fear of prosecution. Below are some of the options for DFS in Tennessee – please note that FanDuel and DraftKings are by far the industry leaders and most reliable sites.
Company | Headquarters | Offered Sports |
FanDuel | New York, New York, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA (beta) |
DraftKings | Boston, Massachusetts, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, PGA, NASCAR, MMA, eSports |
DraftDay | Chicago, Illinois, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, NCAA football |
FantasyDraft | Charlotte, North Carolina, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA |
StarsDraft | Austin, Texas, USA | NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA |
Tennessee residents are able to play any of the standard social casino options available across the country. Double Down Casino, Slotomania, BigFish, and Zynga are all playable options through Facebook or mobile devices.
However, people in Tennessee need to be very careful about the games they are playing because of the breadth of Tennessee’s law. Any kind of giveaway, promotion, or compensation acquired via one of these (or other sites, like MyVegas) might put players in violation of the law. So far, there are no reports of people having legal troubles because of their involvement in social casino play, but please exercise caution if you are playing social casino games in Tennessee.
Tennessee’s lack of in-state casinos is problematic for residents who would like to play their favorite games of chance. However, there are some options in neighboring states that can help soothe these feelings. The most notable option is the collection of casinos just across the border from Memphis in Tunica, Mississippi.
Tunica is one of Mississippi’s two major gambling centers (the other being Biloxi). It is home to eight casinos as sizable and luxurious as any found in Las Vegas.
Harrah’s, Hollywood, Sam’s Town, and Gold Strike all have Tunica locations with every table game one would imagine in casinos of this size. For Memphis residents, these casinos are a mere 43 miles away. They are the best option for Tennesseans in the southwestern part of the state.
Otherwise, Tennesseans have few other options. Residents in the northwestern part of the state can try the Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville in Missouri, which is a small riverboat on the Mississippi River.
Nashville residents can make a just-over-two-hour drive northwest to the Harrah’s Metropolis in Illinois. Finally, Tennesseans in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state can most easily access the two Harrah’s Cherokee properties in North Carolina.
Casino | Location | Nearest TN City |
Tunica Casinos Hollywood Casino Resorts Casino Tunica Sam’s Town Casino Resort Gold Strike Casino Resort Horseshoe Casino Tunica Roadhouse Casino & Hotel Bally’s Casino Fitz Casino & Hotel | Tunica, MS | Memphis (43 miles) |
Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville | Caruthersville, MO | Memphis (95 miles) |
Harrah’s Metropolis | Metropolis, IL | Clarksville (109 miles) Nashville (150 miles) |
Kentucky Downs (racetrack) | Franklin, KY | Nashville (40 miles) |
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort | Cherokee, NC | Knoxville (71 miles) |
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel | Murphy, NC | Chattanooga (95 miles) |
Permitted/Offered? | Notes & Restrictions | |
Land-Based Gambling | No | |
Online Gambling | No | Gambling law is so broadly worded that online gambling would likely be prosecutable |
Lottery | Yes | State and multi-state drawings available |
Charitable or House-Based Gambling | Yes | Bingo and raffles |
Minimum Gambling Age | 18 for lottery and charitable gambling |