Is online sports betting legal or illegal? This has been a constant problem for most sports bettors and bettors, especially in the United States. The answers are Yes and No. Now it will depend on the different circumstances. This article will present the risk involved in the different activities so that we can determine when to consider the issue of legality.
There is little to no risk to players gambling online, poker rooms buy advertising, and smaller outlets accept online gambling ads. There is no federal law that prohibits gambling online. Players can relax for now because it’s relatively safe to continue that activity. Casinos, poker rooms or affiliates that buy advertising need not worry either. To date, only offshore sportsbooks have received attention from the government. Small publishers that accept online gambling ads are also not targeted. So far, they have escaped any form of sanction.
If you place bets on a server located in the US and place sports bets over US phone lines, you better stop and think twice. These activities carry the highest risk because both have been deemed illegal. Let’s use BetOnSports as a perfect example. They took sports bets over the phone and even advertised their number on billboards. They took bets of $4.6 billion from 2001 to 2005. The CEO, the Founder and his brothers were fined, arrested and imprisoned on different occasions. This means that large advertisers and operators in the United States need to be careful.
Now, let’s take a look at some past events that have affected Internet gambling law. In 2002, the court ruled out that the 1961 Cable Act referred only to sporting events. In 2004, the court dismissed another case, stating that they are targeting illegal activities including Internet gambling. In 2006, the Illegal Internet Gambling Enforcement Act prohibited Americans from using credit cards, electronic fund transfers, or checks to finance Internet gambling activities. The event focused on how internet betting accounts are funded, not actual betting.
If you noticed, the question of legality remains complex. We all have different opinions and interpretations. The law is constantly changing and we will never know what will happen next. So far, no arrests have been made in the United States for simply placing bets online. We will all remain in the gray area until the law gives details about what is legal and what is not.