USA Online Gambling Laws
The laws for online gambling in the USA are very clear – you can use international gambling sites in most states, and state-regulated sportsbooks in others. The major laws that are going to govern your sports betting and online gambling experience in the United States are the Wire Act and the UIGEA. These laws exist federally, meaning they apply to all states, but are not equally enforced upon all of them, similar to federal Marijuana laws. The quick and dirty answer? You can gamble in the US easily.
What Are The Legal Gambling Laws In The USA?
There are two major online gambling laws to know at the federal level. The first is the Wire Act, which prohibits the transfer of money between financial institutions if that money would be used for online gambling purposes. This can mean that many international online gambling sites prefer to take their payments in cryptocurrency to avoid putting their banks through such an ordeal.
The second is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or the UIGEA. The UIGEA is a more modern bill, built around the idea of making it difficult for anyone to operate a gambling parlor or casino without the proper regulation. As long as you use a well-regulated online casino, you will not be running afoul of the UIGEA.
There are a couple other wrinkles to note in US law. First, the state gambling statutes themselves have a lot of latitude in terms of permitting online gambling. Many states have begun to do so after the overturn of PASPA in 2017. Online gambling is already happening via the grey market international gambling sites, and will continue to happen there, cutting the government out of their profits, until the regulated options improve.
Gambling Sites Accepting U.S. Players
Gambling sites are widely available and legal in the US. The most widespread gambling sites are international, and accept all sorts of casino deposit methods, from Bitcoin to checks. These gambling sites are available in all 50 states, and can be used without contravening most local laws.
Bovada Sportsbook - Usable In 45+ States Legally
Bovada is a legal online gambling site that can be used in 45+ states. Bovada works by existing internationally, and since there are no laws preventing you from using it, they assume all the risk. There’s really not a lot of risk to assume though – they’ve been in business for decades, and it’s not like they’re going anywhere anytime soon. Bovada accepts payment in credit and debit cards, as well as cryptocurrency, and offers similar crypto payment options in addition to wire transfers and more.
Ignition - Top Legal Gambling Site
Ignition is a top international gambling site that is absolutely legal to use. You can use Ignition on both mobile and desktop devices, and it is a website that can run easily on mobile phones, no matter how old they are. From the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 14, Ignition is easily accessible to players across the US. In terms of bonuses, they have a great bonus that allows you to get $3,000 extra when you sign up with crypto, and $2,000 extra when you sign up without crypto.
Best Online Casinos
Online poker sites for U.S. players
Poker gambling laws mean that poker sites are legal if they are international, and in addition, some states have access to an interstate poker competition. The international poker sites that we recommend are used by many gamblers across the world, and can be found in all 50 states.
Best Online Poker
Online sportsbooks for U.S. players
Online sportsbooks are accessible internationally, and in addition can be found in various states, as the US returned sports betting jurisdiction to the states in 2017. This means that sports betting is legal in almost every state if you use an international book, and is also state-regulated in many of them.
Best Online Sportsbooks
Legal Gambling Age For USA Residents
The legal gambling age for US residents will vary depending on the state you are in. However, it will always be between 18 and 21, and no state has a legal gambling age that is over 21. If you are 21, you’re good to go in any state, and most of the international gambling sites will take you at age 18, since they’re technically located outside of the United States.
Gambling age in the US will also vary depending on the type of gambling you want to do. For example, in some states you can use tribal casinos at age 18, but commercial casinos only at age 21. For this reason, we recommend looking specifically at the state you are in when you look to find the legal gambling age, as some of them have quirks.
What Are The Online Gambling Laws In The USA?
The two major laws you need to know are the Wire Act and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Both acts engage with online gambling in similar ways – they make it harder to run an online gambling service. They do not, however, make it illegal to use one. The fact that they do not make it illegal to gamble is what allows the international gambling sites to stay open.
Federal Wire Act Of 1961
The Wire Act, also known as the Interstate Wire Act, was aimed at interstate sports betting, and was passed in 1961. Sports betting is only becoming more and more popular at this point, but the strictures of the Wire Act mean that it has to be regulated on a state-to-state level, or bypass the federal government entirely. This means that there tend to be two kinds of gambling sites. First, there are sites located outside of the country, but available over the internet. Then, there are in-state sportsbooks and gambling sites which are only available inside the state they are regulated in.
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006. The language in the act "prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law."
This act is very cut-and-dry in that it does not apply to individual people placing wagers, but rather to bookmakers and unlicensed bookies. In a sense, it applies to international gambling sites, but in reality, those sites operate outside of the bounds of the US, and thus are not subject to these restrictions.
One thing that might happen to you is that your credit card provider might be unable to process some deposits into online gambling sites.