Sports gambling laws and regulations
Sports gambling laws differ from country to country. In the United States, sports gambling is regarded as illegal in most states save some like Nevada, Montana etc. The legality and general acceptance of sports gambling is highly regulated in numerous European countries though not criminalized, but Europeans must know how to bet tax-free – great info at GertGambell.net. “Sports gambling” is regarded by legalized sports gambling proponents as being a sports hobby for sports enthusiasts to enhance their fascination with a sporting event thus being a big benefit to leagues, teams and players etc.
There are many sites that are reputable that will not allow US citizens to bet through them although with the appearance of the internet and offshore gambling sites it is getting tough to govern the sports gambling activities of Americans. For quite a while the United States argued against the online gambling legalities by citing the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 passed to halt sports gambling activities between the states by making use of wire containing devices and the telephone. Considering that the internet had not been yet invented during those times, legal experts today question whether regulations actually pertained to the internet services or otherwise.
The Justice Department of America however claimed that the Wire Act did relate to all forms of online or internet gambling. In 2006, The congress wrote the SAFE Port Act and passed it to raise the United States port security. Attached with it was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that prohibited US citizens from utilization of electronic fund transfer or checks, credit cards etc to finance any internet betting activity.
What was important was the fact that the act dealt just with the funding of internet gambling accounts rather than the specific placing of the bet. Therefore an online gambling law attorney Lawrence Walters stated that the bill which was passed didn’t have impact on the betting activity of the person but centered only on the restriction of certain transactions which were financial and relating to the banks and internet gambling sites. Thus the bill failed to make internet gambling illegal nevertheless it made funding ones bet or wager on the web sites illegal criminalizing the financial transaction and not the actual act of betting by way of the individual.
Rep Barney Frank then introduced in 2007, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act in order to legalize internet sports gambling and also at the same time Rep.es McDermott introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act to regulate betting sites on the web and collect tax on all bets made.
The nation of Antigua and Barbuda in 2003 registered a complaint against the US with the World Trade Organization the US (based on their sports gambling laws and ban on betting on the net) violated their WTO rights. The WTO ruled in their favor and though the US appealed the original ruling was upheld on lots of occasions. The WTO awarded Antigua and Barbuda trade sanctions worth $21 million as well as the right to penalize the US copyright and trademark laws.