Is Online Gambling Legal in the USA?

Many online casinos restrict players from the United States, primarily due to laws in the U.S. that prevent online gambling. The FBI says that it is illegal for U.S. residents to gamble online while in the United States.

People can go to Atlantic City, Las Vegas, or a racetrack to gamble, but doing it online is prohibited. Online wagers cannot be placed on sporting events or virtual card games. In addition, money cannot be electronically transferred for gambling and no offshore wagers can be made at all.

Battling the US Online Gambling Misconceptions

While there are some USA online casinos, not only are they illegal, it is illegal for U.S. players to gamble on them. There are also online casinos that accept U.S. players, but again, players from the US are prohibited, even if gambling in the country hosting the gambling website.

Nonetheless, there are some exceptions recognized by the law.

The first exception is when a person plays an online casino game but without wagering their own money. A casino that offers no deposit bonuses is the best type of online gambling that USA residents can get into safely. This is because a no deposit bonus can be withdrawable, as long as wagering requirements are met.

The second exception is when gameplay can be done completely free, meaning that no sort of deposit is made. If there was money involved for gameplay, it would create a serious issue since the transmission of betting through the use of wire communication is prohibited by the federal government.

Furthermore, the FBI states that free online games, Indian gaming sites, and fantasy leagues that are not classified as online gambling sites are among those that are legal. In other words, online gambling is not completely illegal since these few exceptions exist

Unfortunately, there is a misconception that online casinos for U.S. players offering slots and table games are perfectly legal because there is a lack of laws specific to online gambling. While the laws may not be specific to online casinos in the United States, there is a law that states wire communication cannot be used to transmit bets or wagers. That alone makes them illegal.

There is no other way that these casinos can operate unless they offer free gameplay. However, online casinos cannot make a lot of money if too much is offered free.

Be Cautious

Because the FBI is cracking down on United States online casinos, anyone thinking about starting one needs to be cautious. This also applies to U.S. residents thinking about playing online casinos games for which USA players are permitted to register. Just because a casino says it is open to U.S. players does not mean that it is legal for you to be there.

If you plan on using a financial services company to assist you with offshore gambling, you can still get in trouble, and so can they. Remember, even if you decide to gamble online and do so without getting caught, you are still breaking the law. After all, the U.S. has outlawed the creation of domestic online gambling sites and offshore gambling through online casinos.

Nonetheless, fantasy leagues, Indian gaming sites, and free play sites are a good way to get your gambling fix between trips to your favorite land-based casino.