Virtually every gambler who bets online asks the question “can I go to jail for sports gambling online” sometime or the other, because no one really likes becoming a law breaker. This really is because it is a known fact that illegal sports gambling can result in you landing up in jail. However, the reply to this question is not simple since it will depend on the conditions and situations the bettor finds himself in. There is a good distinction between making bets, taking bets, accepting advertising, making payment on the casinos and even buying advertising etc that’s the reason illegal activity varies. Besides, online sports betting and online casino betting also has differences.
Only Federal law instead of the state laws need to be considered in the United States. These laws along with their enforcement are constantly being changed and every day could have new laws being enforced. The best thing for gamblers or online sports bettors to do is to seek right and appropriate legal counsel for his situation.
The online sports gambler has very little to fear because there is no actual federal law which is against online sports betting. Catherine Hanaway, an attorney in the United States admitted that placing a bet on the web is not against federal law, inside a House hearing in 2007. It is a rare case that players tend to be found accountable for violating state laws.
Giant publishers like Microsoft, Yahoo and google have in the past faced penalties where they didn’t face criminal charges but only paid a fine. Others were warned against taking advertisement and therefore didn’t face penalties when they obeyed. Smaller publishers were not even warned against taking online gambling advertisements.
Gambling operators do not have trouble if they only deal with casino and poker bets and operate outside of the United States. It is important to examine and study all of the risks which are associated with every internet gambling activity. This means that you should be aware of what will probably lead to a fine or a jail sentence.
The following will help you to be savvy about the legalities of online sports betting. If you take a bet on a server that is in the Usa is an action which is very risky and you might be in trouble. Taking a bet with a server which is offshore and then entering the Usa, or taking casino and poker bets from a US client on a site outside the US, helping clients to place bets over a site, accepting betting advertisements for online sports gambling etc means that you are taking great risks and might land in trouble with the law.
Other parts which involve lesser risks are accepting or buying advertising in media which is small for online gambling, buying advertising as a casino, an American publication affiliate or poker room. The gambler who places bets himself over the internet faces little risk.
So finally it all boils down to this. If you are still wondering “can I go to jail for sports gambling online?” then all you need to undertake is download material, guides, articles, reviews etc that is easy to get on the internet and find out the specific laws which relate to your city, state and jurisdiction as to whether betting on the internet is legal or otherwise not.
