United States Gaming Jurisdiction

United States Regulated and Licensed Online Casinos

The United States does not offer any licenses or regulatory services for the purpose of real-money online gambling operations. US legislation on the matter dates back to the Wire Act of 1961, which prohibits “remote gambling” by way of wires (i.e. telephone). Though this does not apply to a wireless Internet-based operation, the country still adopts this law to take precedence over online activities. The UIGEA of 2006 further enforced the Wire Act. The UIGEA specifically criminalizes the activity of facilitating fund transfers for the purpose of online gambling, but does not specifically criminalize the act of gambling online (i.e. the financial institution is at fault, not necessarily the player).

The US does license and regulate online gaming operators who do not permit real-money play, thereby eliminating the “risk” factor of gambling. Sites such as these do not accept deposits, but allow members to play for real cash or prizes. A subscription may be offered, granting access to more areas of the site, but real money is not used when playing cash games or entering tournaments.