Is Sports Betting Legal

The question of the legality of sports betting in the USA is very important, if not the sigle most important aspect of whether they will ever bet a game. It’s the number one reason that many people are apprehensive about joining a sports betting site that accepts USA bettors. This page will attempt to give you some peace of mind regarding online sports betting. It will provide helpful information about the three main laws that regulate sports betting in America: the Wire Act, PASPA, and the UIGEA. It will also tell you all about state laws, age requirements, and why you don’t have to worry about getting into any trouble while betting sports.

There are three major federal laws that apply to online sports betting in America today. These laws are the reason that legal online sportsbooks for US players must operate outside of the US. The three laws are the Wire Act, PASPA, and the UIGEA. We will examine each of these laws individually in a moment. One important thing to keep in mind is that these laws only affect how online sportsbooks can function within the US, and have nothing to do with individual players. Now, let’s take a look at what the laws say.

Wire Act:Passed in 1961, the Wire Act was written as a response to increasing proliferation of mob-related organized crime centered primarily around betting. The Wire Act says that no organization may transmit funds or betting-related information across state lines using a wire communications facility. Because of the Wire Act, residents of other states may not use online sites in Nevada, Delaware, or New Jersey, because that would be considered a violation of the Wire Act.

PASPA: PASPA is the acronym for the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. It was passed in 1992 as a response to the negative influence of organized crime on sports in America. It made sports betting unlawful in all but two states, Nevada and Delaware. These two states allowed sports betting before PASPA was written into law, so they were given a timeframe of one year to pass legislation making it legal. Some critics point to the inherent unconstitutionality of the law, saying it gives unfair advantage to Nevada and Delaware. Lawmakers in New Jersey have recently been trying to challenge PASPA in court.

UIGEA: UIGEA is an acronym for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. It is a 2006 law that puts restrictions on the way in which an online betting site may pay out money to bettors. It was tacked on to the end of the Safe Port Act, a homeland security bill that has nothing to do with gambling at all. Adding to the controversy is the fact that no one in Congress had the chance to actually read it before it was passed. The way it affects overseas sites is that sites are not allowed to use credit or debit cards to make payouts to customers.

States by and large have the right to regulate themselves when it comes to regular betting, but not sports betting. Currently, the only states that have legislation allowing sports betting are Nevada and Delaware, and Delaware is pretty limited in what sports you can bet on and when. Most states have their own age laws for betting. It is anywhere between 18 and 21, although there are some states that do not have any age laws. In these cases, it’s still 18 because that’s the minimum age as dictated by the site.