Almost every gambler who bets online asks the question “can I go to jail for sports gambling online” sometime or perhaps the other, because nobody really likes becoming a law breaker. This is also since it is a known fact that illegal sports gambling can lead to you landing up in jail. However, the answer to this question is not simple because it will depend on the circumstances 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 is why illegal activity varies. Besides, online sports betting and online casino betting also has differences.
Only Federal law instead of the state laws have to be considered in the USA. These laws and their enforcement are constantly being changed and each day could have new laws being enforced. A very important 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 not much to fear because there is no actual federal law that is against online sports betting. Catherine Hanaway, an attorney at law in the US admitted that putting a bet online is not against federal law, in a House hearing in 2007. It is a rare case that players are found accountable for violating state laws.
Giant publishers like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have in the past faced penalties where they did not face criminal charges but only paid a fine. Others were warned against taking advertisement and thus didn’t face penalties after they obeyed. Smaller publishers were not even warned against taking internet gambling advertisements.
Gambling operators do not have trouble if they only manage casino and poker bets and operate outside the Usa. It is important to examine and look at all of the risks which are associated with every online gambling activity. This means that you ought to know of what will probably lead to a fine or a jail sentence.
The following will help you to be savvy in regards to the legalities of online sports betting. By taking a bet with a server which is in the Usa itself is an action that is very risky and you simply could be in trouble. Choosing a bet on a server which is offshore and then entering the Usa, or taking casino and poker bets from a US client with a site outside of the US, helping clients to set bets on a site, accepting betting advertisements for online sports gambling etc means that you are taking great risks and could land in trouble with the law.
Other parts which involve lesser risks are accepting or buying advertising in media which is small for internet gambling, buying advertising as a casino, a US publication affiliate or poker room. The gambler who places bets himself over the internet faces little risk.
So finally all of it comes 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 online and find out the specific laws which correspond with your city, state and jurisdiction as to whether betting online is legal or otherwise not.