Is Gambling Online Legal?
In many cases, yes. For example, many countries allow online gambling and
have issued licenses to numerous online casinos. However, the situation in
the United States is a little more complicated.
First and foremost, you must be 18 or older to wager real money. Some
sites may even require you to be at least 21 years of age. This applies to
all wagering, whether online or offline.
In recent years, legislation has
been introduced in an attempt to regulate and even ban gambling over the
internet. However, the proposed legislation has not targeted the casual
player gambling from their home, but rather the individual casino operators
who accept real money wagers. Despite efforts to ban it, online gambling has
become a billion dollar industry, and it is estimated that the majority of
online gamblers in fact, reside in the US.
As of now, legislation pertaining to internet gambling is a grey area,
and undefined at best. Until recently, the United States federal government
largely deferred to the individual states in matters related to gambling.
Given the traditional responsibility of the states regarding gambling, many
have been in the forefront of efforts to regulate or prohibit Internet
gambling. Several states, including Louisiana, Texas, Illinois, and Nevada,
have introduced and/or passed legislation specifically prohibiting internet
gambling. Individuals are advised to consult their state and local
authorities for any applicable laws in their area.
For more information on
the legal issues concerning online gambling, we recommend visiting the
following site: Gambling and the
Law.
Also, visit our section on the
legal age for
gambling and Legal Warnings.
For a 100% legal way to gamble, visit our section on the
Stock Market.
