Gambling in The USA

Did you think online gambling in the USA was illegal? Do you really want to know if you can gamble online, without having to worry about getting charged? With increasing number of gambling sites, advertisements being splashed all over the internet, it's easy to get lured. However, legal implications are a concern of many.

Unlike what many believe, online gambling in the USA isn't legal. Only very few states explicitly prohibit online gambling and they probably prohibit gambling of any kind! Even when laws are in place, none are prosecuted for gambling. Even those who are charged are actually charged under "Wire Act."

While it might not be your fault, the gambling firms can get into complications because of the restrictions levied on gambling firms. This is because a few states don't allow sports betting. If they're illegal, how can casino owners advertise their business, or even put their real information for their gambling site?

Banks can be charged if they play on behalf if you, though you might not be charged even when identified for using bank!

Allowing ads aren't a real problem and most small publishers were not charged for allowing them. Only Google, Yahoo, etc. seemed to get attention due to their volume and were asked to reject gambling ads, besides being levied a huge fine. Even now, Google does not accept gambling related site for Adsense, etc. Likewise, Yahoo does not accept gambling ads.

The problem is not with online gambling, but rather with malpractices and lack of understanding. Since there aren't many ways to regulate gambling or how it's done, government is against online gambling in the US. That was a few years back, when they cracked down sites operating from other countries. But now, states are passing bills accepting online gambling and other states are following suit. It is done in a bid to gain revenue since the economy is struggling already and also to avoid citizens crossing borders for gambling!

Rep. John Campbell passed the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, & Enforcement Act of 2011 bill on March 17, 2011. According to this bill, internet gambling operators can get license to accept wagers and bills from US citizens. This was among the many other bills passed by the Federal Government favoring online gambling.

Did you know Nevada passed a bill explicitly legalizing online gaming? This was followed by states like Pennsylvania, Illinois and California. There are different types of online gambling namely Poker, Online Casino, Bingo, Sports Betting, Horse Race betting, Online Lotteries, provably fair gambling, in-play gambling, mobile gambling, etc. Funds can be loaded using credit cards, though most card providers don't allow using cards for online gambling. Leading online payment processors including Money Bookers, have stopped accepting US residents for this reason. However, Bitcoin is accepted as currency by most online gambling sites. A few days back, 888 Casino got permission to enter US market, through Nevada. With online gambling being accepted legally in the US, measures are taken to regularize it and make it more customer-friendly.