Is It Legal To Wager On Sports?
The biggest question we get from our readers, "is sports betting legal in the U.S.," is not an easy one to answer, but we're going to try to help shed some light on that subject here. While the laws are clear, there have certainly been some ambiguous interpretations that have led to a lot of confusion concerning the legal status of sports betting in all 50 states.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no law that has ever been written or interpreted to prevent any U.S. citizen from wagering on any sport event. What the letter of the law strictly forbids is the facilitation of sports betting, meaning that bookmakers and business owners who operate in the United States could get in a lot of trouble, but you are running no risk in the eyes of the federal government by simply participating in sports betting.
Here are some other commonly asked questions that should help fill in any gaps we may have missed in our basic answer. These questions supplement the information already to provided to completely round-out and support our stance on the legality of sports betting in the U.S. If you have any questions not answered here, drop us a line at webmaster@usaoksportsbooks.com and we'll be happy to tell you all we know!
Sports betting is legal and facilitated in the states of Delaware and Nevada, and many people prefer to do their betting in person. However, you may just find that you, like the thousands of other members of online betting sites from those states prefer an online sports betting account. Because of all the perks mentioned here and the freedom online betting allows, many bettors from the casual to the most serious prefer betting online.
In Delaware especially, the rigidity of the state run facilities can be a bit suffocating. Many times you will be forced to parlay certain bets, or need to wait for a certain time on others. For these reasons along with those listed all around this website, we always recommend signing up with a sports betting site that takes USA players.
The answer can be given in three words: location, location, location. Since all the good online sports betting sites for Americans we recommend are based overseas, they are able to work around a lot of the laws that forbid sports betting here domestically. Since these are legally run enterprises, and you know that you cannot be prosecuted for betting on sports, you can now infer that sports betting is a completely safe and legal hobby to take up.
Deposits at Sportsbooks in the US | Bonuses At US Sportsbooks | Sportsbook Payouts
You are looking for the best legal sportsbooks, and we’ve got `em. Being avid sports bettors ourselves means that we have gone through quite our share of betting locales, in person and online. After extensive research, a mass amount of bets, and a whole lot of money changing hands, we have concluded that a handful of sites stand tall above the competition. These online bookmakers have been going at it for decades, and have amassed millions of members from all over the world that love to wager on their favorite teams. Whether it be football or futbol, you will find the best lines for every sport at one of these sites.
America is full of diverse sports fans. This country has more famous teams than any other, and we produce some of the greatest athletes in the world. BetOnline is a world-renowned sportsbook that accepts USA residents from every single state in the nation. If you are over 18, you can sign up (although we suggest checking your state law first to see if they set the betting age higher, in which case you should wait until you are that old). This site operates out of the Republic of Panama, which is why it is allowed to take players from all over the world.
One of the many things that makes BetOnline great is the plethora of funding options. Whether you are making a deposit or requesting a payout, this site makes it easy and fast. Credit/debit cards are accepted for deposits, and are the most popular methods because they are as simple as ordering something online from any major retailer. For payouts, we recommend cash wire transfers (MoneyGram or Western Union), as they are very fast. Alternatively, many folks like to request a good old fashioned check. These are only a few of the excellent funding methods at BetOnline, check out the site today to see what else you can choose from.
The main law that deals with web-based betting is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Before telling you what this laws says, we first want to note that this law passed through Congress on the back of a bill to protect our national security, the Safe Port Act of 2006. In a time when securing our borders was of the utmost importance, the UIGEA never had a chance to fail, however there has actually been talk about repealing this law but nothing official has happened yet.
As for the language of the bill, it basically says that it is illegal for a bookmaker to knowingly accept payment from a user for the purpose of wagering. But since any online sportsbook that is legal for Americans is located outside of the U.S. in countries where it is legal to operate, they do not follow this law, nor will they get into any trouble for doing so. Because offshore sports betting sites do not have any reason to block payments from American bettors, the focus of the law then shifted towards American banks and the facilitation of electronic fund transfers. American sportsbook users sometimes encounter difficulty when trying to deposit into a betting site with their credit or debit cards. This is because they are backed by a bank, and if it is detected that an account holder is trying to send money to a known offshore sportsbook, they will simply be blocked; there are no possible penalties for trying, and often payments go through without any issue because sports betting sites typically change payment processors frequently.
Being legally run enterprises, you'll find that most all legal US online sports betting sites will abide by state wagering restrictions. For instance, in most cases, to start an account with one of the sportsbooks we recommend you'll need to be at least 21 years of age and in some cases will need to be able to produce documentation to verify your identity. These businesses use these practices not only to protect themselves from fraud, but to ensure that they can maintain legal operations. An online sportsbook allowing a minor to bet would be a lot like a bar serving a minor alcohol in that it could bring down several legal ramifications.