1. There are no federal laws that exist making online gambling illegal.
Nowhere in existence are there any federal laws that state that Americans are not allowed to gamble or make bets on the internet. This is the most important thing to know prior to online betting.
2. There are specific states that outlaw online betting.
Do not take part in online gambling if you live in Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, Montana, Washington, or South Dakota. These states rarely ever prosecute those who are placing bets, they are more interested in taking down the people that are operating illegally. Those who do choose to gamble online are likely safe from prosecution, even if they are illegally betting in a state that is named above.
3. You must be over 21 to legally bet online.
Any person that is under the age of 21 is not allowed to bet online. When signing up on any website, there will be an age verification process. Sometimes this is done automatically, other times the person will be required to send in some form of identification in order to prove the age. The account can be locked until the age has been verified.
4. You may place bets with a cell phone.
You must be connected to a legal US sports bet site through a web browser or an app. There are android betting apps that allow a user quick betting, such as Bet365 and William Hill.
5. Federal law prohibits banks from handling transactions that are related to online betting.
To make this clear – it is not illegal for the US based player to make the transaction, it is only federally prohibited for a bank to handle a known gambling transaction that involves a US based player.
6. You may place bets in any currency.
Betting sites that are based offshore will allow gamblers to place bets in any currency of their own choice. However, when betting at a USA sports betting site, funds may only be deposited in US dollars. By doing this, there will not be Forex fees or charges that can result in the loss of a portion of the deposits.
7. You may bet with a credit card.
While this is possible, keep in mind that many online betting sites in the United States are blocked by credit card companies. Do contact your credit card company prior to betting, to ensure that your card will work.
8. Offshore sites are not the safest.
Many offshore gambling sites vanish overnight, offer no legal protection, and will present problems when depositing money. Only join betting sites that hold a valid license in the state that you currently live in.
9. Betting sites know your location.
Thanks to Geo-location software, legal US betting sites can check to see where the better is located. When the better is located out of their jurisdiction, the better will not be able to access the betting site.
10. Federal law prohibits sportsbook sites from accepting wagers from Americans.
Keeping this in mind, it is not illegal on a federal level for the American bettors to place these wagers. This is not true for casino or poker games, only for sports bets. The Federal Wire Act states (very clearly) that accepting American sports bets is illegal, but the DoJ (Department of Justice) says that this does not apply to any games that are based on chance or skill.