Legal Sports Betting

Can any American player of legal gambling age place a bet on sports online without breaking the laws currently in place in the U.S? It's an important question to answer and explore for those who are interested in betting on sports living in the United States. Not only is it an important question to understand and have asked, it's a popular one as well.

Because of the fact that betting on sports in the U.S. and around the world is such a huge money generator, the legality of sports betting in the United States is at an all-time discussion. With the ease of access to betting lines due to the Internet readily available to almost anyone, sports betting is no longer something that one does on vacation in Las Vegas.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal?

Betting sports online can be done legally by USA players. There are a couple of factors that need to be met. The first is that this site in operation must not violate any of the laws in place in the U.S. The second factor is that the sites that do not violate U.S. laws must also accept bettors from the U.S. The good news is that there are many online sportsbooks operating outside of the United States, but welcome U.S. bettors.

These offshore sportsbooks are legal for American sports bettors of legal age to bet with, it's a matter of finding one that meets your requirements when it comes to betting lines, deposit methods to bet real money, and more.

Sports Betting Laws

There are laws that surround the legality of whether it is in fact legal to bet on sports in the United States. We've broken down the important ones below so you can begin your research if you need more outside of what we've provided. Please have a look and educate yourself!

Federal Wire Act of 1961

The Federal Wire Act was a piece of legislation that spanned all forms of gambling in the United States, but recently was ruled only to be enforced among sports betting. The Wire Act essentially bans any gambling business was utilizing forms of wire communication when it comes to process a bet that is placed. Since much of the transactions today deal with this, it makes it pretty impossible for an online sportsbook to operate legally in the United States. But it does this without outlawing sports betting directly.

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act Of 2006

Similar to the Wire Act, the UIGEA is one of the most current pieces of legislation relating to gambling, because it strikes right at the Internet. Covering all forms of online gambling, including sports betting, the UIGEA prohibits businesses from processing payments specifically for a bet or wager over the Internet. But again even here with the UIGEA, bettors are specifically excluded in the language of the legislation. This means that they can still place the bet.

The intent of the law is to effectively eliminate gambling sites across the United States, and not the placing of that bet. This is important because it's how bettors can legally place a wager at an offshore site not in operation in the United States.

Is Land-Based Sports Betting Legal?

There are places where land-based sports betting can be conducted legally, but only at a handful of states. But even those states in where sports betting could be legal, not all of them take advantage of it. The only state that really has sports betting where players can walk into a land-based casino is Nevada. Las Vegas sportsbooks are world famous and bettors 21 years and older can come from far and wide to place legal wagers on sports.

The other states where sports betting isn't banned are Montana, Oregon, and Delaware. But neither of those states have done a lot with the fact that it is legal, they were merely grandfathered in under the Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which you will read about below.

Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act

PASPA was passed back in 1992 as means to outlaw sports betting in the United States. But this wasn't a law that did not give chances for states to be granted immunity to this. There were strict and specific requirements that needed to be met however. These stipulations included at minimum of a decade of licensed gaming in the state.

In addition, the states with his licensed gaming history had one year to apply for this. Like we mentioned above, just four states went through with this. PASPA bans sports betting in the United States by disallowing sportsbooks in states that were not under the immunity implied earlier.

State Laws

We've mentioned the federal laws relating to betting on sports, but how about state laws? After all, there are many state laws that relate to gambling in the United States. For example, the legal gambling age is decided at the state level. In terms of sports betting, there are just four states where betting on sports is legal under the federal law. States can have additional laws banning gambling on sports as well.

For information on the laws in your state, it's best to consult your local government or an attorney in your area, as they will have the best information for you. We simply want you to realize that there could be additional facts you need as far as betting sports in your state.

Betting sports online is where the door opens for residents in the United States who are old enough to do so. Online sportsbooks that are legal for American bettors set up shop outside of the U.S., and as a result, are not under the jurisdiction of the UIGEA, or Wire Act. And with those laws pertaining to operating a gambling site, and not specifically betting at one, it's legal to place such a wager.

Below, we happen to have two of the top online sportsbooks for U.S. players to wager on their favorite teams and all the biggest games!