Betting Laws in the USA
We in America love our freedom. We don’t like to be told we can’t do something, because it goes against our core principles of liberty and independence. We also don’t like laws that are wishy-washy. Take US betting regulations, for example. There is a huge disparity in the mixed messages our government sends us regarding wagering. Certain types are legal in certain states if you are of a certain age. It’s so confusing that you could flip your lid.
In this page, we examine some of the major issues that relate to betting law in the United States. We will tell you why and where it can be legal and safe, and we will throw the spotlight on several important laws. Finally, we will take a quick look at state laws and tell you why you will not get in any trouble for betting in the United States. There is a lot of legal red tape to unpeel, so let’s get to it.
Yes, betting is legal in the United States. The thing is, not all states have places where you can do it. Most states at least have some kind of casino, though. This is because federal law allows states to make their own gambling laws. The same does not apply to sports betting, however. That being said, it is not against the law for an individual to bet on sports. Unfortunately, you most likely will not be able to find a land-based sportsbook in your state. The only ones available are in Nevada and Delaware. You can, however, use safe US betting sites that function outside of the country.
Yes, betting in the United States is safe as long as you join a legitimate site or go to a land-based casino. All of the sportsbooks we recommend are trusted and licensed. Their reputations are unblemished and they count millions of people as members. Major media outlets have advertised some of these sites. They pride themselves on transparency, reliability, and accountability. Also, you can be sure that these sites do everything in their power to keep your personal information safe and sound using high-tech security features like encryption and firewalls.
There are three main laws that have to do with betting in the United States, which we will go into detail about later. They are the Wire Act, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). All of these laws put together make it so online betting sites must function outside of the United States in order to be legal. The first two laws are the most important. They directly affect whether or not sportsbooks can function legally in the US. The third law mainly affects money transfers to and from accounts.
How Does The Wire Act Affect Betting In The United States?
The Wire Act says that you cannot transfer money like a betting site deposit or betting-related information from one state to another using a wire communications facility. The law dates back to 1961, when the mafia had a stranglehold on sports betting. The law was a way to cut down on organized crime. It does not affect land-based betting, but it does affect online sports betting. It is one of the main reasons why an internet sportsbook must operate outside of the United States in order to be legal. The Wire Act underwent several changes since its inception. A recent attempt to restore it to its original intent (Restoration of America’s Wire Act, or RAWA) has met with opposition in Congress, so it is unlikely that it will come to fruition.
How Does PASPA Affect Betting In The United States?
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) dates back to 1992. It affects sports betting specifically, and is the reason why no states besides Nevada and Delaware have their own land-based sportsbooks. These two states have traditionally allowed sports betting, and PASPA allowed them to keep on doing business as usual. Many people say that PASPA is an unfair law that deprives states of the right to regulate themselves. The main reason for PASPA was to crack down on crime, but it is arguable whether it has actually done any good. Critics contend that all it has done is push sports betting underground while denying states the opportunity to cash in on a potentially lucrative industry. Some states, such as New Jersey, have challenged the law in court, but have been unsuccessful in getting PASPA repealed.
Does The UIGEA Affect Betting In The United States?
In some ways. First, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act makes it almost useless for an online sportsbook to function in the US. It puts restrictions on how sites can transfer money from one account to another. Since some of the best online sportsbooks operate outside of the country, this law does not really apply. It does, however, make it so you cannot use a credit or debit card to make a withdrawal. That does not really matter, though, because there are plenty of other ways to request a betting site payout.
Each state has its own laws governing betting, and these laws often conflict with federal regulations. The three laws we’ve talked about are federal laws. PASPA is unique in that it gave a few states the right to make their own sports betting laws. The only other state laws that affect sports betting are state age laws, which vary from anywhere between 18 and 21. Each state does have the right to regulate other forms of betting, such as state lotteries, casinos, and horseracing. Indeed, most states have some sort of land-based casino betting or horseracing. Many of the casinos are on Native American land, though, which is technically outside of US jurisdiction.
No, the chance of this happening is almost nonexistent. Not only are the sites we recommend exempt from US law, there is no law that says an American citizen cannot bet on sports. To go back to an earlier point, the function of the law isn’t to punish average Joes, but to nip criminal activity in the bud. I’ve looked and looked, and have not found one single case of anyone ever getting in trouble for betting on sports. The people going to jail are serious criminals, underground bookmakers, etc. Unless you are engaged in such activity, you have nothing to fear.
Plan on betting your favorites this weekend? It’s possible that you didn’t know you could play the odds at an online sportsbook, and up until now, you’ve missed out on all the fantastic lines at Bovada. There’s still time to fix that, this book has lines on all the professional teams in America and you can find the wager types out the wazoo that are sure to make you money, every week. They’ve been accepting bets from players in the US for over two decades and since their site is hosted from Canada, they aren’t running the risk of being shut down by the American government or getting any of their members in legal trouble.
Bovada is a full-fledged betting site, complete with an online casino and virtual card rooms. You’re going to have the option to play in weekly and daily poker tournaments as a member of this great betting site. It’s too bad that the popular sites have left the market and moved on to Europe, but this site is keeping your seat at the table warm while you finish up a double-or-nothing on red at the virtual roulette wheel.