18 year olds can only gamble a bit: Some states have the ages set at 21, and I guess if the casino serves alcohol on the gambling floor, they must be 21 to go there. They can buy lottery tickets. I'm not sure how things like betting on horse races works, though.

And it doesn't, but it can be slightly harder for a 16-17 year old to get a fake ID without alerting their parents.

> I'm not sure how things like betting on horse races works, though.

You need to be 18 in most of the states where it's legal, 21 in a handful and 19 in Alabama. I've never seen anyone carding at a racetrack, but then most of the people at a racetrack are 40+

Just FYI, a handful of states have 19 or 21 as the age to buy tobacco, and while I think you're right about the age to gamble being 18 in most states, most casinos require you to be 21 – at least from my anecdotal experience.

This doesn't change your overall point about fake IDs, but it does support the idea that America has a bizarre set of age limits around "sinful" behaviors.

The smoking age in Arizona, California, Kansas, New York City, and a lot of cities and counties have 21 as the smoking age.

And 21 is the gambling age in many states in the US.

The majority of the U.S. is limited to 18. There are exceptions, by state, county, and even establishments as you point out.