Betting Online is Still Illegal
Despite the undeniable popularity of watching sports in New York, betting on the game is still pretty much illegal. Despite this fact, it is true to say that sports betting is blowing up in the USA and the popularity is ever increasing. In fact, Americans bet an astronomical $15 million on the Super Bowl 51 and March Madness; unfortunately, 97% was bet illegally. Indeed, in this season alone, $58 million in illegal bets will be placed on NFL and College games, so why is it still illegal?
Way back in 1991, the most powerful men in American sports signed a petition to stop the spread of the growing evil that is sports betting. They were under the impression that sports betting would turn the popular games into bait to sell gambling, which was a past-time that wasn’t to be encouraged.
However, the NBA commissioner Adam Silver has called for a repeal of the act and wants congress to re-examine the federal ban. In the past 50 years, the USA has changed its legislation regarding online gambling immeasurably, however, this hasn’t spread to sports betting. The main worry is the fear that this will lead to match fixing.
This stance has created problems. America is now home to what is seen to be one of the biggest black markets for sports betting. Although around $4 billion is spent annually on legal sports betting in Las Vegas, between $80 to $380 billion is spent underground. So, isn’t it time they took another look? It’s happening as much in America as anywhere else, but unregulated.
How to Bet on Sports in the USA in a Legal Way?
As stated, there are very few states that allow companies to offer sports gambling on a federal level. You may be lucky and live in Nevada, but other options are few and far between. However, although each individual state does have the authority to decide for themselves whether they allow online gambling, they don’t have the option to legalise sports betting. In fact, apart from visiting Nevada, the only legal option for US bettors who wish to partake in this activity is to visit a licensed and regulated online sportsbook that is located outside of the USA.
Fortunately, these establishments are regulated under the regulatory oversight of a governing jurisdiction which has already legalised sports betting for their territory. This allows them to offer their services to gamblers from around the world legally – including the USA. If you choose to use these sportsbooks that operate legitimately in the sports betting industry then it is perfectly within the law. Although America doesn’t allow sportsbook to be operated within its borders, this doesn’t stop bettors from vising the certified offshore sites.
Is it Legal for Americans to Bet from Abroad?
As previously stated, whilst it is tricky to bet on sports from within the boundaries of the USA, there are ways around it should you go offshore. This is the most popular way to place your bets. You can either access online sportsbook on the internet from America, if they accept American players and have the correct jurisdiction, or you could sample the delights of betting from beyond the shores of the US of A.
As soon as you step away from the land of America, the jurisdictions do not apply to you, you are under the laws of the land in which you are currently residing. Therefore, you can place your online bets from outside of the country. The law of the land doesn’t ban any Americans from playing in online casinos from anywhere in the world, from inside America or abroad. Simply put, you are not breaking the law by playing in an online casino when abroad.
The only real problem you may encounter when playing from abroad is how you deposit your money. There have been clamp downs on how players can fund their accounts. Although some casinos still allow you to use Visa or Mastercard, the e-wallets you can use have changed as you can now only use Virtual Pin or eWallet. So, yes, betting from abroad is very possible and very legal – you just have to work a bit harder than others.
Where to Bet Online When You Are Abroad
If you want to bet on sports online from abroad, these are the sites that are the best for American punters:
- Sportsbetting.ag – is an all-in-one gambling destination focussing on sports. It has been around since 1998. Sports betting coverage is mainly based around US sports because this is where a lot of Americans come to place their bets. This site has some of the highest bets allowed on American sports.
- Bovada – is a prominent bookie for US bettors. It has been offering online sports betting services since 2000. It has a top reputation among its user base and you’ll find lots of sports to bet on, including American and international leagues.
- Intertops – has been taking sports bets for over 30 years. It offers rapid withdrawals, excellent customer service and a feature-rich sports betting platform. The only downside is that the maximum bet sizes are quite low which makes it unsuitable for high rollers.
- Sportbet is a trustworthy bookie focussed on the US market. It has one of the largest collections of contests of any bookmaker in the online US market.