There is no federal law against placing a wager online. So, you can legally place a bet online. However, a wager must not be placed on a site located in the United States. There is a small chance players might run afoul of state law, but there is little chance of prosecution. The only case cited where a person got into trouble with a state was. Play Responsibly — If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems Helpline: 1-888-850-8888 or visit DEProblemGambling.org.
Known as the home of the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks, Churchill Downs Racetrack conducts Thoroughbred horse racing in Louisville, Kentucky, during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. Look for Profit Line 'overlays' (noted in green). Profit Line deems these 'overlays' because the current odds are greater than (or equal to) to the horse's estimated fair chances of winning, which means you will get a higher return on your wager based on live odds than the Profit Line program predicted.
Thousands of Americans gamble online. But is online gambling legal? We break it down to show you what you can do, what you can't do, and what's still up in the air.
by Katherine Butler
updated September 03, 2020 · 2min read
The legality of online gambling is ever-changing. But one thing is constant: it makes a lot of money. Online gambling industry makes an estimated $1 billion dollars annually. This is a huge business, and a lot of people have cashed in on it. But it has led to some ambiguous legal issues, as the legality of online gambling is constantly being challenged.
There are differences in the legality of making bets, taking bets, facilitating payments to casinos, and advertising on websites. And there are constantly new legal challenges. So here is a breakdown of the law on online gambling.
There is no federal law against placing a wager online. So, you can legally place a bet online. However, a wager must not be placed on a site located in the United States. There is a small chance players might run afoul of state law, but there is little chance of prosecution. The only case cited where a person got into trouble with a state was in 2003. Jeffrey Trauman of North Dakota paid a $500 fine on over $100,000 of online sports bet winnings.
Sites that are set up outside of the United States are legal. Therefore, gambling on websites located in areas like Australia, the Caribbean, and Latin America is legal. Just be very clear that the site you are playing on is not based on U.S. soil.
It is never legal to gamble on a website based in the United States. Also, if you are planning to operate an online gambling site, stay outside of the United States. You must also deal only with casino and poker wagers (not sports bets) from people in the US. And you cannot take bets over the phone from people in the United States.
Accepting online gambling advertising is also illegal. If you are a small publisher, you are less likely to be prosecuted, but why risk it? As of early 2009, only large and mid-size publishers had faced prosecution. In 2007, the three big search engines (Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft) each paid a fine for accepting online gambling ads, but did not face criminal charges. Other publishers, such as Esquire Magazine, have been warned by the government not to take online gambling advertising.
Facilitating the transfer of funds to online casinos is also a bad idea. As of 2006, it became illegal for American banks to process transactions originating from or directed toward any online gambling operator. Because of this, several sites then refused to take bets from American players. But as the law seems difficult to enforce, it has not turned the tide completely for American players.
Advertisers who promote sports books in magazines and on billboards may or may not face prosecution. So far, sports books have never been scrutinized for advertising online. And online casinos, poker rooms, and sports books have never been prosecuted for buying ads.
Online casinos and operators still accept American players. And international financial parties have continued to process their transactions. The legality is always changing and there have been attempts to declare online wagering against the law, but for now, U.S. citizens who simply place bets online are in the clear.
One of the requirements for a site like Global Poker to remain classified as a sweepstakes site is that it must be possible to play for its prizes without paying anything yourself. While there are several ways that you can get free Sweeps Coins on Global (Gold Coin purchase, social media contests, registration), we wanted to explore the most direct method: mailing a request to Global Poker company headquarters.
This method for acquiring Sweeps Coins comes with exceptionally specific instructions. Global Poker’s Sweeps rules lay out exactly what you need to do. Let us be clear: You must follow these instructions to the letter. If you don’t, your request is voided and you won’t receive any free Sweeps.
To start, use this link to join Global Poker and create a new account.
All requests must be handwritten. If you use a computer to produce your request, it will not work, so you’ll need a pen (or two).
Secondly, you have to have stationery that conforms to specific dimensions. Your request card needs to be 4” x 6”, blank, unlined and unfolded. Global recommends a postcard, but you can either buy the proper cards at an office supply store like Office Depot (what we did), or you can cut paper into the proper size.
You will also need to have No. 10 envelopes on hand to contain your request. You can put only one request in each envelope, so don’t try to pack them into one mailing. Finally, you will need some stamps. Neither Global nor any other sweepstakes site will pay for postage.
Once you have everything together, you’re ready to start the request. As you can see, the elements that Global wants on each card are quite explicit.
On the same side of each card, you will write your full name, your email address and every word of the following statement:
“I wish to receive Sweeps Coins to participate in the sweepstakes promotions offered by Global Poker. By submitting this request, I hereby declare that I have read, understood and agree to be bound by Global Poker’s Terms and Conditions and Sweeps Rules.”
Here’s how we wrote our request. The name and email have been blacked out for privacy reasons.
Please make sure that you only write on one side of the card. If you mark the opposite side, start again.
Once you’ve written your card, you should turn your attention to the envelope. It, too, must be handwritten with both Global Poker’s address and your return address.
Don’t use return labels, even though they would save money. Also, make sure to write the phrase “Sweepstakes Credits” somewhere on the envelope — we wrote it as if it was the person to whom we were sending the request.
Put the request in the envelope, and do not fold it as you do so. The instructions clearly mention that the request must be unfolded. After that, put the stamp on the request, and drop it in a mailbox.
Each successful request will yield 5 free Sweeps Coins into your account. If you want to redeem cash prizes from your account, you will need to verify it, so that’s not a bad thing to do while you’re waiting for the requests to arrive at VGW’s mailing address.
Global Poker doesn’t offer a VIP rewards program, which is a major shortcoming even by social gaming standards. On the bright side, the site features leaderboards and challenges that award its most active players with free Sweeps Coins. Furthermore, since the guarantees are relatively high, tournaments hosted on Global Poker can be considered a type of promotion.