Online Gambling is an increasingly popular form of recreation. Whether you enjoy casino gaming, sports betting, or virtual poker, it can be fun and convenient. It allows you to wager in a variety of ways from your computer, mobile phone, or tablet. But despite its popularity, some casinos operate without licensing or regulatory oversight.
While there are no set guidelines regulating internet gambling, there are a number of federal and state laws that you should know about. Those laws include the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the Wire Act. In the case of UIGEA, illegal online gambling means using the Internet to receive, transmit, or accept bets. It also includes receiving financial instruments from an illegal Internet bet.
The first online gambling venue for the general public was the Liechtenstein International Lottery. Since then, thousands of gaming machines have popped up all over the world. As the gambling industry has matured, consumer protection practices have remained behind.
The law hasn’t exactly been clear. However, the Department of Justice has been studying the topic. In December 2002, the agency published a report titled Internet Gambling: Overview of Issues. It was accompanied by a webinar produced by online safety advocate Myleene Klass. The webinar focused on the various regulations that exist to protect consumers.
The First Amendment provides limited free speech protection for crimes facilitating the delivery of speech, and that does not seem to apply to the act of gambling. As a result, the question of who gets to decide which gambling laws are enforced has been raised.