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There is much confusion surrounding the legality of online casino gambling in the United States. Despite the introduction of recent laws regarding online gambling, gambling over the Internet remains legal in the United States. There are however restrictions placed on online gambling and it is important to be aware of them before you begin to play. The History of Laws Related to Online Gambling In October 2006, under President George Bush, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was introduced as part of the SAFE Port Act. There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this law. The Act did not prohibit online gambling specifically and under the Act, online gambling at places such as online casinos remains legal. The confusion comes about because the Act did prohibit financial transactions being made to online gambling service providers. According to federal law, individuals who live in the United States can legally place bets online. According to state law, this may be problematic so all gamblers must make sure to be aware of their state laws before gambling online, regardless of the federal laws. The UIGEA Act does prevent a casino that is based in the US from accepting bets. Because of the UIGEA laws, many offshore online casino sites shut their doors to US residents and there are now many online gambling institutions that do not accept US players. There is a further complication in the form of the Wire Act of 1961. This act prohibits making bets over the telephone and there are those who claim that it applies to the Internet as well. This is a grey area, however as it has not been specifically ruled on by the Supreme Court. Out of all of the states, there are 11 that have restrictions. These include Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin. Opposition to UIGEA There is some opposition to the UIGEA Act and there are regularly attempts to change the laws in the United States regarding gambling at online casinos. The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) has been fighting the UIGEA Act. In 2007, Rep. Barney Frank filed a bill with the aim of eventually legalizing and regulating online gambling. In 2008, the bill failed to even make it out of the House Financial Services Committee. At the same time there was an attempt to clarify the definitions in UIGEA, such as "unlawful Internet gambling" for banks and policing agencies, but even this failed. The Bottom Line for US Gamblers The fact remains that gamblers based in the US can legally play at an online casino. They can play casino games for real money, they can accept casino bonuses and they can enjoy all the entertainment provided by an online casino. There are difficulties however. A US player first needs to find an online casino that will accept him and unfortunately, many will now not do so. Once he has found an online casino that he can play at, he will have to find a payment option that is legal for US players to use. There are many restrictions on potential payment methods for US players. However, all in all, many US players enjoy the fun of online casino gambling and they do so in a legal and safe way.
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