Is sports gambling legal in the US? That question has been in the news a lot lately.
The short answer is”yes.” Unless you live in a state that has explicitly made it illegal, you, as an American, can legally make a sports bet at many different online gambling sites.
The long answer is much more complex, but not so complex that it can’t be explained in easy terms. Below, we provide our top 10 best picks of the most powerful gaming websites for bettors in the united states along with a crash course on the legality of sport gambling in the United States.
USA
UNITED KINGDOM
EUROPE
ASIA
AFRICA
MEXICO
1
Bovada
Bovada lives up to their reputation as a consistently astonishing online gaming experience.
https://www.bovada.lv
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5 Welcome Bonus: 50% bonus up to $250
Terms & Conditions Apply
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2
BetOnline
Their large maximum bonus size is a true head-turner for larger bettors but BetOnline provides something for everybody.
https://www.betonline.ag
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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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3
SportsBetting.ag
New ownership has dramatically enhanced about this sportsbook – and – simply to show they are serious, their incentive offer is becoming more generous than ever.
http://www.sportsbetting.ag/
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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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4
GTbets
GTbets, or’Game Time’ bets, has consistently had our attention for its unique promos that cater to fans of important North American sports.
http://www.gtbets.eu
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5 Deposit Bonus: 100% up to $500
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5
Xbet
XBet.ag is just one of the newer sportsbooks so it has its own perks, great performance on mobile devices and aggressive bonuses to mention a few. They’ve proven to be a trusted sportsbook at a rather brief time period.
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4 Deposit Bonus: 100% sign-up bonus up to $300
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6
MyBookie.ag
MyBookie is newer on the scene also has been making a strong case for itself. From rush payout options to early lines they are showing they have hustle.
http://www.mybookie.ag
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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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7
BetNow
BetNow is a brand new sportsbook that is highlighted by a vast array of futures, teasers, and parlays, plus diverse casino offerings.
https://www.betnow.eu/
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4 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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8
Skybook
Skybook offers a free half point on NFL and NBA stinks and spreads. Plenty of betting choices for major league sports: NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB.
https://www.skybook.ag
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3 Deposit Bonus: 100% up to $1,000
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9
BookMaker
BookMaker isn’t a bad alternative for anyone, but it particularly caters to people who bet big money on the regular. With its massive list of early traces, props, and parlays, it’s really an industry leader.
http://www.bookmaker.eu
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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $300 deposit
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10
5Dimes
5Dimes is the Yankees of sportsbooks–they are safe, based, and provide a premium merchandise –they also have exciting promotions reminiscent of minor league ballparks! It’s the best of both worlds.
https://www.5dimes.eu
Total Rating:
3 Deposit Bonus: 50% bonus up to $520
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We’ve always found that Bovada, Bet on the internet, and SportsBetting.ag offer US bettors the highest quality gambling experience. They’ve got excellent track records of financial reliability and audio security, with well-developed desktop and mobile interfaces to boot. What’s more, they have had time to find tune their server servers so they can provide stateside bettors a reactive, contemporary web platform to lay wagers on. With those publications, you won’t need to hit the refresh button constantly await pages to load. You’ll be in a position to act on enticing lines fast, easily, and efficiently.
Legal
There Are Two Distinct Forms of Sports Betting
Two Different Kinds of sports gambling are possibly available to Americans, and they each have their particular legal framework:
Sports gambling within the united states, either at casinos, racetracks, or authorities authorized sites.
This was banned nearly everywhere in the US besides Nevada before the Supreme Court decision in NCAA vs Murphy (April 2018), that ruled that the prohibition on sports betting contained in the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act [PASPA] was unconstitutional.
After the Murphy decision, each state is free to legalize sports betting within its boundaries, and we’re closely monitoring the legal status of sport gambling in every state on this page.
Sports gambling at sites hosted outside the USA.
This is by far the more popular type of sport betting for most Americans and, as such, is the principal focus of this article.
Is Online Sports Betting Legal in the US?
Betting at foreign sportsbooks is frequently described as”illegal” or called a”legal grey area,” but it is really not. Unless your state’s sports-betting laws make it illegal to use an offshore sports-betting website, it doesn’t appear to be contrary to the law for Americans to place wagers at such websites.
At the time of writing, the following states had active prohibitions on online sports gambling:
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Michigan
South Dakota
Utah
The vast majority of countries don’t expressly prohibit gambling at offshore sportsbooks and, consequently, the huge majority of Americans use such sites to make their sport wagers. It’s estimated that 12 — 15 million Americans were active online sports bettors in 2017 alone.
There are federal laws in place that prohibit:
Offshore betting sites from offering their services to American residents (see the Wire Act), and also Financial institutions and overseas betting sites from accepting/making certain types of financial transactions from Americans.
However, the framework made by the Wire Act and UIGEA does not make it illegal for Americans to use online betting sites. As Las Vegas attorney Barry Lieberman stated in 2007,”Bettors who are recreational rather than in the company of wagering probably don’t have to worry about Wire Act violations.”
In a sense, online gambling is somewhat like underage smoking (although less hard on your lungs). In the US, it’s illegal for anyone to sell cigarettes to minors, but, broadly speaking, it isn’t illegal for minors to smoke cigarettes, just like it isn’t illegal for (most) Americans to use an online sportsbook.
The final result is that, provided that you use a respectable sportsbook with a good track record of safeguarding user funds and providing timely payouts (two of the most important factors we consider when rating and advocating online gambling sites), your bankroll ought to be safe. No person American has been prosecuted for using, financing, or attempting to finance an account at an offshore sportsbook, according to a November 2017 article by Allen Moody.
Nevertheless, the federal laws in place in the moment do have a practical impact on the ability of Americans to use online sportsbooks, especially when it comes to withdrawing and depositing money.
The next section explains what you need to know before you sign up so you are not taken by surprise.
Banking
While Americans shouldn’t be worried about being prosecuted for betting at an online sportsbook, the practical impact of the Wire Act and UIGEA is that Americans have limited choices when it comes to earning withdrawals and deposits.
Which options are available depends on which website you are using. Each of our testimonials details the deposit and withdrawal options at the website, and the sites, themselves, will even provide this information before you join, frequently under the FAQ, Help, or Getting Started section.
Without getting too bogged down in the specifics, here is what you can generally expect.
Deposits Options for US Bettors
Most-common Less-common Unavailable
Visa American Express PayPal
Master Card Person to Person wire transfer Apple Pay
Bitcoin Money Order Google Purchase Visa gift cards Cashier’s Check —
Prepaid Credit Cards NetTeller —
Withdrawals Alternatives for US Bettors
Most-common Less-common Unavailable
Check Wire Transfer PayPal
Bitcoin Skrill Apple Pay
— NetTeller Google Pay
— Money Order —
Price changes notwithstanding, our specialist view is that Bitcoin tends to be the best deposit and withdrawal option as
It doesn’t need sensitive personal information to be transmitted on the web;
It lends itself to secure trades;
It helps for fast deposits and deposits; and
Many USA betting sites offer generous Bitcoin-specific bonuses.
If you’re not knowledgeable about the cryptocurrency, read our guide to sports gambling with Bitcoin.
Signing Up
If at this point you feel comfortable that your online gaming actions will not land you in any legal trouble (which you should), you may be ready to sign up to your first sportsbook account. The variables you will want to consider when choosing the best website array beyond deposit and withdrawal options, obviously; our study indicates the five most-important factors behind US bettors are:
safe transactions
trustworthy reputation
Free, easy, & quick trades lucrative/generous bonuses
Wide choice of sports
So do your research, contrast and compare the advantages of each site, and then join the 15 millions other Americans who are currently in on the action!
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