It is a common fact that there are millions of Americans that bet illegally on sports every year. In fact, the American Gaming Association has estimated that right around $150 billion is spent annually on illegal sports betting. It is truly easy to understand why so many individuals want to bet illegally on sports. Not only is it exciting and thrilling, but it can be very lucrative as well. The only downside is that you are breaking the law and if you get caught, you are going to spend some major time in the slammer. Not to mention all the fines that you will be faced with. However, thanks to the reach and advancement of the Internet it is now possible to partake in these same exciting activities, but in a legal manner.
Supreme Court Making Major Changes
Many gamblers have grown more and more excited after hearing the latest news. As of Monday, the United States Supreme Court ruled that states are now allowed to authorize sports betting in their state if they so choose to do so. Of course, this means that the states will have to go through votes and the whole ordeal still could get turned down in the end, but they now have the legal right to do so. Currently, the only state in the United States that allows sports betting is Nevada, but New Jersey is right at the center of the Supreme Court’s ruling, as they already have Atlantic City casinos and other gaming franchises.
After Mondays latest ruling there are seven states that are inline to make sports betting legal. Among these seven states are Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Iowa, New York, Mississippi, and West Virginia. All seven of these states have a law drafted, prepared, and ready to be authorized before the new NFL season kicks off in September. In addition to this, there are thirteen other states that have proposals laid out to legalize sports betting as well. Amongst these thirteen states are California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
So, as of right now if you are interested in betting on sports in the United States inside an established gaming hub, you are going to have to do so in the state of Nevada. However, it with the latest rulings of the Supreme Court it does look like all of that is about to change.
What About Online Sports Betting?
As mentioned-above US citizens also have the options of betting on sports online as well. In fact, all across the United States people utilize the Internet to gamble and make sports wagers on some of the biggest and most publicized sporting events. Not only can you do this from the comfort of your own home, but also with your mobile device, you can literally bet on any game and any time of the time. This is without a doubt become a billion dollar market and millions of Americans are taking advantage of it, but there are still some that are on the fence because they don’t really know if the practice is legal or not. So, can you bet on sports in the United States online legally?
It is true that there has been a lot of talk regarding this subject in the past, but some of this is very legal and extremely hard to understand unless of course, you were a full time practicing lawyer. Some regulations talk about the legality of placing bets over the phone, while other regulations talk about betting online. The fact of the matter is, that these law and regulations are extremely difficult to understand. That being said, there is no record of any US citizen ever being charged with a crime for taking advantage of online sports betting.
Take Advantage Of Betting Strategies
Where you are going to be betting on horse racing or basketball, it can be truly easy to get in over your head and lose your whole payday. However, there are a variety of strategies and techniques that you can take advantage of to increase your betting odds. Betting Gods offers in-depth information about betting on sports inside of the United States.
How Does The 1961 Wire Act Come Into Play?
Back in 1961, the United States issued what was known as a wire act. Since sports’ betting was only legal in Nevada, the act was designed to prevent individuals from calling in and placing bets over the phone. Since there was no Internet back in 1961 the lawmakers didn’t have to worry about placing restrictions on online gambling. However, it was just recently announced by the Department of Justice that the Wire Act of 1961 does not apply to online poker room or online sports betting.
The Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act
Back in the early 90s, the US government created what was known as the PASPA (The Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act). This act just basically limited, which states could be allowed to legally offer sports betting within its borders. After everything was all said and done the only states with the legal right to offer this practice was Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana. You probably already know that it is legal to bet on sports in the state of Nevada, but Delaware actually offers to bet on NFL games in the form of parlays. Unfortunately, as of right now the other two states have not authorized sports betting.
Can You Legally Bet On Sports Online In The United States
The laws are still very unclear and technical when it comes to betting online in the United States, but one thing is for sure. No citizen in the United States has ever been charged with a crime pertaining to online sports betting. In most cases, the law will try to go after the gaming websites rather than the members. That being said, anytime you are going to bet online you need to make sure that you are using the most trusted and well-respected websites out there.