Sportsbetting a gray area in US legal system- to be or not to be a bettor?

Question

thats the question. i&#x27;ve been doing some research and i am sure this subject is really annoying to some bettors. USA is considered on of the top countries of the world and not alllowing online sports betting at first seemed like a joke to me. England , fellow country is making billions by regulating the betting industry.long story short i recently joined bodog and decided to not deposit but just ask the support if it is okay for me to place wages and withdraw moeny from them . they said its fine, but couple of days ago i read in the news that bodog WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING US PLAYERS by the of decmber 31,2011https://www.rgtonline.com/article/bodog-to-leave-u-s-market-at-the-end-of-year-104219?Categoryi decided to delete my account there.now my question to u guys is can i as an adult living in the US bet on sports online at a sportsbook and withdraw money? will the winnings be taxable? and what are we talking about here,LEGAL or ILLEGAL???thank you

4kec4 · Answer

thats the question. i&#x27;ve been doing some research and i am sure this subject is really annoying to some bettors. USA is considered on of the top countries of the world and not alllowing online sports betting at first seemed like a joke to me. England , fellow country is making billions by regulating the betting industry.long story short i recently joined bodog and decided to not deposit but just ask the support if it is okay for me to place wages and withdraw moeny from them . they said its fine, but couple of days ago i read in the news that bodog WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING US PLAYERS by the of decmber 31,2011https://www.rgtonline.com/article/bodog-to-leave-u-s-market-at-the-end-of-year-104219?Categoryi decided to delete my account there.now my question to u guys is can i as an adult living in the US bet on sports online at a sportsbook and withdraw money? will the winnings be taxable? and what are we talking about here,LEGAL or ILLEGAL???thank you

4degreeswarmer · Answer

It is illegal and always has been . The US government will never go after an individual for making an illegal bet, but they clearly are going after the books themselves for the way the books are trying to skirt the banking laws and move around their money. Putting any funds into any online book right now is incredibly foolish.  So dont worry about being charged with any sort of crime. Its your funds that would be in danger. You might never get your funds back ( the BETED situation), or it might be a huge wait/hassle to get your funds if a book closes.

theblueprint · Answer

It is illegal to have a book that accepts wagers from US customers. It is NOT illegal to place bets on these books. And yes, you can claim your winnings on taxes. If you are making a substantial amount of money you should because the only thing the US govt would have a problem with is tax evasion.

lovesoccer · Answer

4kec4- It is perfectly legal to make a wager with an offshore sportsbook located in a sovereign nation. The US government has no authority whatsoever over these companies. None. The UIGEA only makes it illegal for a US bank or credit card company to knowingly process gambling transactions. Companies that exited the US market have no balls. They should have held a press conference and told the US to fuck off.

The World Trade Organization ruled against the US several years ago in this matter but the US has chosen to ignore the ruling. So in other words the US says you have to follow what we say but we don't have to follow what you say. By the way, no one cares about Bodog. It's a shit book and has always been a shit book.

cts99 · Answer

There are ways around everything,first off guys are asking about taxes and do not even have a book.1 guy is asking if  he can wire money to someone in vegas to place bets with him.1 guy flys his buddy out 7 or 8 times a year to make bets. I telling you this is grade school. I just wonder how many people bet on games or just post like there a big player.

4kec4 · Answer

sure they are ways around to betting online. thats a given. but say something happens to your sportsbook and they dont payout in time, or they take a long time to payout and you get worried n then they dont pay you at all. what r u going to do then ....?

its like an wise anonymous person once said:" you cant tell the police that someone stole your weed..."

cts99 · Answer

I do not have those issues, the big boys that pla, are hooked with agents who rep the offshore industrys right here in the states.You just have know were to look,find yourself a big player and he can help with the problem.Hell most of the vegas casinos are hooked up offshore they are not going to 100 of millions bet each weekend on football pass threw there greedy hands.

KktdocT · Answer

U.S is no longer one of the top country in the world. &#xD;&#xA;GL.

BodogBecky · Answer

Just wanted to clarify that Bodog brand is leaving the US market on December 31st but that the company which owns the Bodog.eu (formerly Bodog.com) software (MMGG) is going to rebrand the site and will continue to accept US players.

SteamLocker · Answer

While there is no federal legislation that says wagering on sports online is legal, there is also none that specifically makes it illegal.

U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway admitted this during a House hearing on November 14th 2007

You can read all the details and find a transcript plus video of that statement at Sportsbook Actual.

Some states have laws against online gambling, but only one guy got charged, EVER, and it didn't even go to court (see that site for more about that also).

Breaker · Answer

Nice. It helps to be informed correctly

senbet · Answer

a lot of good info in this thread. good to know

theblueprint · Answer

An easy way out of all this trouble is to pay taxes for considerable winnings....why risk getting in trouble over a few games?

Sportsbetting a gray area in US legal system- to be or not to be a bettor?

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