Internet Gambling Legality

Is internet or online gambling legal in the U.S.? There is no law that prohibits internet gambling. However, The Internet Enforcement Act that was passed in 2006, and which was to go into effect in December of 2009, prohibits financial institutions from accepting payments via credit card, check, or electronic transfer to settle wagers.

This law effectively stops most on-line gambling from taking place in the U.S., but it doesn't stop U.S. citizens from participating in on-line gambling. What people do who want to gamble on-line is to open a foreign bank account, and transfer funds into this account. They then play poker or some other gambling game on-line, and pay any charges from their foreign bank account. So far no one has been prosecuted for doing this, however the Internet Enforcement Act has not been in effect, it's planned implementation date was December of 2009.

Now this implementation date has been delayed for 6 months since financial institutions appealed, saying that the proposed law did not offer "a clear definition of what constituted internet gambling" and that it would be difficult for them to enforce.

Many people in a position to influence the law recognize that the proposed law would still leave the issue in limbo, and they want it clarified. The six-month delay is to provide time to resolve this issue.

Some congressmen, including Barney Frank, want the law changed to allow regulated internet gambling. They argue that internet gambling will go on anyway. If it is legal, it could be controlled and even taxed, providing another source of funding for the U.S. Treasury.

What will happen after the six month delay and review? We will have to wait and find out.

Practicing Poker

Many poker players use online poker sites to practice and hone their skills over the internet.

Whether or not it is legal to play online poker in the United States is a subject of great debate. The law is somewhat unclear as to what can and cannot be offered when it comes to online poker games. Because of this, many online gambling sites have decided to no longer offer their poker games to players in the United States. One popular site that still does is Full Tilt Poker.com shown on the right.