Online Gambling Laws

 

With 50 states in the Union, each with their own different laws, it is no surprise that the the state online gambling laws tend to vary. Every single state has codified its own gambling laws, and some players tend to be very confused due to the fact that there is no single end all, be all for determine what is legal and what is not in terms of gambling - primarily online. The legalities of online gambling are already incredibly confusing on a federal level. Throwing in the fact that state laws also take some form of precedence and what you get is major complications surrounding whether or not you can actually legally gamble online. There is no easy answer to this question of legal online gambling in the United States, so what we will ultimately show you here is not whether or not the games are technically legal, but rather what sites will accept you regardless of your state of residence.

We cannot stress enough how much you need to pay attention to the laws of gambling in your state before you decide to make a foray into the gambling industry. While we are here to show you which gambling sites accept residents of the United States, but we cannot actually tell you the specifics about the laws. We are not legal experts, and thus we cannot actually tell you much beyond the fact that there a few states that have banned online gambling outright - Washington State, Louisiana, Nevada and Montana. If you live in one of these states you could face arrest for gambling online.

Factors Contributing To Online Gambling Laws

The UIGEA & It's Affect On Gambling Laws
The entire issue of whether or not online gambling is legal is essentially a total grey area. The federal government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, but this is more related to financial payment processors than people who actually play online gaming. The fact that this law is built more for payment processors than the actual gamers has contributed to the grey area more than anything else. Some state that this law makes online gambling illegal on a de facto basis, but nothing has truly been determined.

Online Gambling Laws According To The States
Each state in the U.S.A. has their own gambling laws, and the real complication stemming from this is the fact that most states have not written anything specific pertaining to online gambling. There are a few states that have codified something related to online gambling, but those who have have generally made it illegal to participate in one or more forms of online gambling. Some say that existing gambling laws are in place with online gambling due to online gambling being generally the same as land based gambling, while others argue that online gambling has nothing to do with existing gambling laws due to the nature of the Internet.

Major Forms Of Gambling Affected By Laws
Another major issue is the separation of each form of online gambling. The three major forms of online gambling - casino gaming, sports betting, and online poker - all face different licensing requirements and restrictions with their brick and mortar counterparts, and online gambling is only somewhat different. You once again have to consider the cross over between land based and Internet gambling.

The Wire Act Of 1961
Sadly, the government has long been battling over whether or not the Wire Act, a law from 1961, pertains to online gambling, despite the fact that the Wire Act was written and passed long before the Internet was conceptualized by ARPANET or became a commercial endeavor. We have found many of these gambling sites that will provide you with a way to gamble, though the true legalities per the Internet Gambling Laws are, as we have said, a grey area.