Legality of Online Sports Betting

As online gaming has become more and more popular, the prospects of being able to carry out online sports betting have also increased. And yet the issue of whether online sports betting is legal or not remains a complex one to resolve for the residents of the United States. There are many different interpretations of the law and it is always best that you clarify the status of online betting with a lawyer in your area.
To understand the current discussions about the legality of online sports betting, we need to know a bit about its history.

The Interstate Wire Act, in the United States prevents sports gambling between states using wire-containing devices, like the telephone for instance. For a long time, Internet gambling was thought to come under the purview of this Act and hence was argued to be illegal. However, experts point out that when the Act came into force, the Internet had not yet been invented and it is not correct to state that the Act applies to the Internet as well.

In 2006, another Act, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was supposed to stop American citizens from using modes of money transfers like checks, credit cards and electronic fund transfers to fund their online gambling activities. Again, legal experts argue over whether this means that online gambling is in itself illegal or that the Act merely deals with the way the online betting accounts are funded.

In 2007, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act was introduced. This dealt with regulating various online betting sites and how the United States could collect a tax on all the wagers that were made on the site. Experts still maintain that the Internet gambling restrictions may not apply to casino-style games. However, many in the United States believe that though this Act may not stop gamblers or online sports betters who are determined to bet, it will at least prove to be a sufficient deterrent. Right now, the current situation is such that all it takes to place a bet or gamble is just a click of the mouse. Making it harder for them to send money to casinos or online sports betting sites will mean less casual gamblers.

Of course, taking bets on websites located in the United States is against the law and most online sports betting sites are located in other countries, where they are allowed to operate legally. In the most recent case at the World Trade Organization, the United States had to agree that the stand it has taken on Online Sports betting may be in violation of the World Trade Organization and had to pay trade sanctions to some countries.

All this means is that there are still many gray areas as far as the legality of online sports betting is concerned. If you or anyone you know of would like to go online on one of these sites, you should first understand from a legal expert as to what is legally allowed and not, before you place your first bet.