America is a lot of things to a lot of people, but to those who love betting on e-sports, it can certainly provide a challenging landscape to navigate. Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone! We’ll provide as much information as we can to help you gain some knowledge and insight into the world of betting online.
Online Gambling History
When the internet first became available to casual users, it was largely unregulated because the technology was too new for rules to be set in stone. Unfortunately, this meant that online gambling also fell into the gray area, which made it hard for users to determine whether it was an illegal activity or not. The short answer is no, but the long answer is much more complicated. Online betting wasn’t quite legal or illegal, but rather without rules – until 2006 came along.
In that year, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was put into place and it “prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law.” This made online gambling rules clear as mud, as there was still a lot of gray area that wasn’t covered under this regulatory act.
Still, UIGEA had enough fear factor with it that most gambling sites left the United States to pursue their activities overseas, where the fear of illegality was largely kept to a minimum. In 2011, however, those companies that decided to stay in the USA and chance it were felled when the United States government brought criminal charges of illegal gambling against them.
Legalized Online Gambling
As the online betting industry stalled, states started working to make gambling legal on at least a state level, and several have succeeded. Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and California have all legalized gambling, and some sites allow gambling if you’re a US citizen if you use Bitcoin, which can’t be traced back to an individual user.
There’s no question that the laws are changing, but if you still have questions about e-sports betting in the USA, it’s best to check with your local state government before placing your bets. Online gambling can be a fun way to socialize and possibly win some extra cash, but we do not encourage you to do so if it’s illegal where you live. Happy betting!
UPDATE: Bovada to the Rescue
It seems that online gambling giant Bovada allows eSports betting to users in the United States (it’s actually for US players only). Take a look and see if it’s right for you!