Many individuals wonder where or not they can gamble legally on the Internet in the United States. The answer is that gambling is not completely illegal in the United States. While many individuals may try to get you to believe that online gambling is completely illegal, this is simply not true. Online gambling is perfectly legal but there are some aspects and areas where gaming online can be illegal.
First, individuals are not allowed to use any sports betting services on the Internet today. Any casino website that provides this service is in violation of a law regarding the transfer of information about sports betting through electronic means. This a federal crime which can be punished by large fines as well as time in federal prison! Several companies have attempted to appeal this ruling; however, they have been largely unsuccessful. Individuals also should understand online sports betting is unlikely to be made legal any time soon.
Internet gambling in games of chance has never been ruled illegal at a federal level. However, there are some states that have passed legislation banning online gaming in their state. One of these states is Louisiana. UIGEA is the first attempt by the federal government to interfere with individual gambling opportunities. The UIGEA made it illegal for banks and online gambling companies to transact with one another. This measure was supported by the NFL while the banking industry vehemently opposed individuals being able to hide behind this act.
There are a number of attempts that have been made at both the House of Representatives as well as the senate level for individuals to be able to pass regulations of the online gambling industry. While many of these attempts have ended in failure, each attempt gets closer and closer to passing successfully! June 2009 passed the first action by the United States taking individual players funds and impounding them. The U.S. DoJ seized over $34 million from 27,000 player accounts in the district of southern district of New York. A committee on taxation that reviewed potential tax revenue from online gambling stated that up to $42 billion could be collected over the next ten years from companies that were given a legal license to allow gambling on the Internet.
Internet gambling has been passed as legal in New Jersey. The only form of gambling that remains illegal on the Internet in New Jersey is sports betting. However, it may be approved at a later date should voters decide to do so or the legislation of the state approves it. Many individuals believe that online gambling remains illegal in the United States due to problem gamblers. While there may be some individuals who have a gambling problem, many of these individuals do actually visit online casinos. 80% of people who gamble online have a gambling problem. However, there are programs that can be put in place to assist them. Also, money laundering in online gambling is a non problem according to the government as well as casinos.