Unlike land-based casinos, online gambling can be enjoyed any time of the day or night. This includes sports betting, virtual poker, and casinos. While these activities are legal in some countries, they are illegal in most. Gambling online is a fun and convenient way to spend your free time, but it comes with a few risks. If you are new to the online gambling scene, you might not know what to expect. You could run into a scam, or you could become addicted and spend more money than you can afford. Fortunately, there are a few tips you can follow to minimize the risk of becoming a casual gambling victim.
Choosing an online casino with a solid security policy is one of the best ways to protect your money. You might find that your banking information is compromised if you gamble on an insecure site. Moreover, choosing an online casino that has a clear set of rules and regulations will give you more confidence in your transactions. A casino that provides a list of games, as well as the latest trends in gambling, will give you more options to choose from.
There are a number of federal criminal statutes that are implicated by illegal gambling on the internet. While there are no clear-cut laws governing the legality of online gambling in the United States, the federal government is taking steps to prevent it. In December 2002, the Government Accountability Office published an overview of Internet gambling. In this document, the GAO cited several notable gambling related statutes, such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), the Travel Act, and the CRS Report R41614.
The CRS Report R41614 contains many citations of state and federal gambling laws. It also discusses the first and most recent Congressional findings regarding the impact of these laws on interstate commerce. While the findings may not be of particular interest to gambling industry operators, they may prove useful to state officials.
The CRS Report RS21984 is another reference. It is not specifically about online gambling, but it does provide a quick look at the various state statutes that are relevant to the issue. The report is also a handy reference for attorneys and others who are curious about the laws governing gambling on the Internet. It is also available in a more readable abridged version.
The GAO also released a study titled Internet Gambling: Overview of Issues. This report, which contains a lot of useful information, was written in the wake of a scandal involving a U.S. banker who reported illegal online gambling transactions. While the report provides a good overview of the gambling industry, it does not cover many of the nuances. For example, some banks have a strict policy when it comes to processing transactions on the Internet. Aside from the obvious security considerations, some banks have been known to refuse to process transactions from certain countries.
Another tidbit is the First Amendment. Although the GAO does not discuss this in detail, the aforementioned law does provide limited protection for free speech objections. That said, there are still many other important laws that can be applied to the online gambling scene.
