Is online sports betting legal or illegal? This has been a constant problem for most sports bettors and gamers, 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 who place bets online, poker rooms buy advertising, and smaller outlets accept online gambling ads. There is no federal law prohibiting online gambling. Players can relax for now because it is relatively safe to continue that activity. Casinos, poker rooms, or affiliates who buy advertising shouldn’t worry either. To date, only overseas bookmakers have received government attention. Small publishers that accept online gambling ads aren’t the target either. So far, they have been spared any form of sanction.
If you accept bets on a server located in the US and you accept sports bets via US phone lines, then you better stop and think twice. These activities have the highest risk because both have been considered illegal. Let’s use BetOnSports as a perfect example. They took sports bets over the phone and even posted their number on billboards. They received bets of $ 4.6 billion from 2001 to 2005. The CEO, the Founder, and their brothers were fined, arrested, and jailed on different occasions. This means that large US advertisers and operators need to be vigilant.
Now, let’s take a look at some past events that have affected the internet gambling law. In 2002, the court ruled that the Cable Communications Act of 1961 referred only to sporting events. In 2004, the court dismissed another case, claiming 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 activity. The law focused on how internet gambling accounts are funded, not actual gambling.
If you noticed, the question of legality is still 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 simply for gambling online. We will all stay in the gray area until the law provides details on what is legal or not.