Is Online Sports Betting Legal In The United States?
While it is not necessarily legal to bet sports online in the United States, you, as the user, are in no danger of prosecution for placing sports wagers. It's a paradox, for sure, but one that has a decent set of legal precedents to back it up. And, LegalOnlineSportsBetting.com is going to teach readers that the ONLY ones accountable for illegal wagering are bookmakers which operate on U.S. soil... whether they are online or not.
What makes betting on NFL football and other sports on the Internet illegal in the USA? A combination of federal and state laws. The most cited such law is the 1961 Federal Wire Act, which clearly says that placing wagers "by wire" on sporting events is illegal. The words "by wire" are loose enough so that the Wire Act could be used to prosecute sports gamblers who use Internet connections to gamble.
However, the Federal Wire Act is not intended for, and has not been used against, the regular Joes betting on sports at legitimate sports betting sites. The '61 Act was an attempt to get organized crime out of professional sports, and has never been used to jail an individual for placing a bet on the outcome of an NFL game or an NCAA basketball tournament.
A recent ruling by the US Department of Justice, clarifying the Wire Act decision of more than fifty years ago, paved the way for states to allow citizens to buy lottery tickets and play other games of chance online. The clarification of that sports betting law was also seen by many in the industry as further proof that the federal government is interested in shutting down illegal sportsbook providers on US soil, and not the guy sitting at his laptop working out an Internet parlay or other sports wager.
In a handful of states, all forms of Internet wagering are explicitly illegal. States like Washington, Louisiana, and South Dakota have laws on the books that make Internet wagers of all forms illegal. Citizens of those states should take these laws seriously, as many of them come with hefty fines for even one incident of illegal betting over the Internet, and some even allow for jail time for multiple offenses.
However, no state has yet used their anti-online gaming laws to prosecute a citizen. No poker players, online slot junkies, or sportsbook users have been arrested based on these state laws. Much like the situation at the federal level, these laws seem to be aimed more at the hosts of gambling sites, though it is important to note that these laws COULD be used by said states to arrest you for placing any type of wager on your computer using an Internet connection. If you have doubts about the legality of sports betting in your state, consult a legal professional to see if you should be concerned about placing sports bets online.
The long and short of it is this: it is certainly illegal to bet on sports in the USA over the Internet. However, no one has ever been arrested for this offense, and it seems like both state and federal governments are more interested in prosecuting hosts of illegal online gambling sites, rather than individuals who use the Internet to place bets on sports.
The legal age to bet is determined by state law, not federal law. With that being said though, the ages do not stray from being either 18 or 21. But when discussing legal betting ages from the perspective of online sports betting, there is another variable to consider - the website. The online sportsbook will have rules and regulations that govern its operation, one of which will be age. In most cases, the legal age is 18 years old at the website.
But what if the legal betting age in your state is 21? This is an interesting point to raise because the betting sites that are legal operate offshore are not under state jurisdiction, however most will require the local area age to be met. In some cases though, the website will state that as long as the legal age is met with their rules, then it's fine. Those found violating the age limit of an online sportsbook are subject to fines and loss of account + more depending on your area.
| State | Age | Forbidden? | State | Age | Forbidden? |
| Alabama | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Montana* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited |
| Alaska | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Nebraska | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Arizona | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Nevada* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited |
| Arkansas | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | New Hampshire | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| California | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | New Jersey | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Colorado | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | New Mexico | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Connecticut | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | New York | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Delaware | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | North Carolina | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Florida | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | North Dakota | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Georgia | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Ohio | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Hawaii | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Oklahoma | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Idaho | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Oregon* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited |
| Illinois* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited | Pennsylvania | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Indiana* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited | Rhode Island | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Iowa | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | South Carolina | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Kansas | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | South Dakota* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited |
| Kentucky | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Tennessee | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Louisiana* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited | Texas | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Maine | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Utah | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Maryland | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Vermont | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Massachusetts | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Virginia | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Michigan | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Washington* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited |
| Minnesota | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | West Virginia | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| Mississippi | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Wisconsin* | N/A | Online Sports Betting Prohibited |
| Missouri | 21 | Online Sports Betting Allowed | Wyoming | 18 | Online Sports Betting Allowed |
| * - denotes the age to legally bet on sports is solely up to the sports betting site you choose to gamble with | |||||
The legal age to bet is determined by state law, not federal law. With that being said though, the ages do not stray from being either 18 or 21. But when discussing legal betting ages from the perspective of online sports betting, there is another variable to consider - the website. The online sportsbook will have rules and regulations that govern its operation, one of which will be age. In most cases, the legal age is 18 years old at the website.
But what if the legal betting age in your state is 21? This is an interesting point to raise because the betting sites that are legal operate offshore are not under state jurisdiction, however most will require the local area age to be met. In some cases though, the website will state that as long as the legal age is met with their rules, then it's fine. Those found violating the age limit of an online sportsbook are subject to fines and loss of account + more depending on your area.
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