Can US Players Play Legally? The Current State of Online Gambling

The complex and clouded issues surrounding the conditions of online gambling in the United States are influenced by a variety of factors. People need to understand the laws and the direction they are going. Let's shed some light on the question: Can US players play legally?

There are a number of rules pertaining to gambling of all kinds, both via the Internet and in the casinos. For example, the minimum age regulations are determined by individual states and vary from age 18 to age 21. It applies whether you play in a brick and mortar or Internet casino. Failure to comply with this or any other rule can result in funds being held and accounts shut down or suspended, so if you are a young adult you should check with your state before depositing any money.

There are three specific Acts that we hear about a lot because of their direct impact on gambling. These are: The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which specifically pertains to Internet casinos, the Federal Wire Act, which had jurisdiction over several forms of betting until it was constricted specifically to sports betting in 2011, and the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The PAPSA came into effect in 1993 and worked toward outlawing sports betting.

Most of the language in those Acts does not specifically prohibit people from gambling on the Internet. It may be harder to find a site that will let you deposit as the UIGEA works to prohibit businesses from taking electronic payments for gambling-related transactions, but as for the main question, can US players play legally? Well, no one has ever been prosecuted for it though the transactions might be difficult, and you'll be fine as long as you are not planning to move large amounts of money back and forth on the various sites. With some states such as Nevada and New Jersey already working hard to get online gambling back in the ring and in the hands of the public once again, it's just a matter of time before the rest follow and we no longer have to work around this headache in order to enjoy real money betting.