City councilmember and his brother were arraigned Tuesday on multiple charges, including illegal gambling, money laundering, and tax evasion, according to the San Joaquin County. In other words, offshore online gambling is legal for every United State bettor except those players living in Washington DC. Offshore poker games and offshore sports betting are also not illegal. The federal laws of the United States do not criminalize offshore casino betting. A few states have banned online gambling in all forms, but this is mostly targeted at starting a gambling site rather than playing at them. In Washington state the games are illegal for the player. Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon and South Dakota also have their own laws pertaining to the legality of playing. Within a week, New Jersey became the third state to legalize online gambling, authorizing the issue of both online poker and online casino licenses to casinos in Atlantic City. In April 2013, the first legal online gambling site in the United States went live in Nevada.
Out of all questions about legal online gambling in the USA, the legality of online casinos are generally ignored. It is hard to say why this is, but as far as we can tell the United States government has never seized an online casino, but there have been some brands of casino software that have pulled out of the American market in order to avoid prosecution or to insulate themselves from potential harm. The fact of the matter is that online casinos enjoy some level of protection for a variety of reasons, including the wide number of these gaming sites and the relatively small player base that these casinos include - player bases that are almost infinitely smaller than the major online poker rooms.
When the UIGEA was passed, several brands of online casino software decide that they would not bother trying to contend with the ethics and complications of federal law. In 2008, casinos that license the Microgaming software stopped accepting new players from the United States. Later, in 2011, Microgaming saw what happened on online poker's 'Black Friday,' and they cut ties with all existing United States gamblers. Similarly, PlayTech had decided to pull from the United States market, but they did so significantly earlier. Playtech ceased operating in the United States as soon as the UIGEA was passed in 2006. Though these two behemoths had pulled from the American market, several types of online casino continued to operate within the United States, including one of the best - the RTG software.
With the complicated nature of the online gambling industry, with both the inherent inability to control the Internet and regulate international businesses, the United States has not been able to effectively ban the online gambling sites. When begging the question over whether these online casinos are legal in the United States, it is somewhat easier just to say that they are not illegal, but they are also unregulated. Since every state that allows some form of gambling heavily regulates the industry, it is difficult to say whether a lack of regulation inherently makes these gambling sites illegal. A few states have banned online gambling in all forms, but this is mostly targeted at starting a gambling site rather than playing at them. In Washington state the games are illegal for the player. Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon and South Dakota also have their own laws pertaining to the legality of playing with an online casino.
What it boils down to at this point is casino software. Several forms of online casino software are still operating in the United States, including the RTG, Rival, Top Game and Vegas Technology software. There are a few others, but they are hardly worth mention - especially considering the might of the RTG software.Regulation would greatly improve the gambling atmosphere online, but for now the only thing that is illegal, as per the UIGEA, is processing payments for online gambling sites. This only applies to financial businesses, so players do not actually have to worry about being held liable for just enjoying the what online casinos have to offer.
As with any other form of gambling, we implore you to check into your state's online gambling laws, perhaps with an attorney, prior to gambling, especially if you are really concerned with whether or not you can actually get in trouble for something as harmless as online gambling. Above anything else, do not attempt to ever bypass the minimum gambling age that has been instituted in your state, as this is a great way to very quickly lose any money before you even have a chance to win.
Gambling illegal online can leave you with several penalties to pay, and depending how extensive it is, you could be looking at some big trouble with the law. That it why we have pages like this to inform you about the most important aspects about gambling online. There is no greater importance than to ensure that you do so legally and safely. Your state government will have all of that information for you, especially when it comes to the legal gambling ages in your area. Just because you might meet the requirement from the sportsbook, does not mean that you are of age in your state.
For further information about the legality of online casinos as they relate to players in the United States, check out the link below which will move you to our site on everything legal online casinos, as you will gain a sense of some of the top-rated casinos out there for the U.S. player.
Online Casino Illegal Online
Online Casino Legal In Texas
See more about legal online casinos here as well as a list of all online casinos that accept USA players.