Despite the many legal and ethical benefits of online gambling, some states are more lenient than others. The United States, for example, treats online gambling like any other vice. In other words, the government focuses on the businesses providing the service, rather than on the customers. Middle Eastern nations, on the other hand, have much stricter laws regarding card games like chess and blackjack, while the rest of the world enjoys unlimited access to online gambling.
However, online gambling is not allowed in all states. Currently, there are four states that allow online gambling. The Wire Act of 1961 was originally created to regulate sports betting and to work with anti-racketeering laws. But since the Internet was invented, this law no longer applies to digital wagering. In 2011, the Department of Justice allowed states to pass legislation that legalized online gambling. In the same year, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was overruled by the US Supreme Court. The Department of Justice then determined that the 1961 Wire Act extends to online legal betting in the US.
In January, New Jersey became the first US state to legalize Internet sports betting. This state now offers two legal sportsbooks, connected to the state’s commercial casinos. Washington, DC has a two-tiered system for online sports betting. The DC Lottery’s Gambet is accessible from anywhere in the District, while privately operated sportsbooks are only accessible in areas with physically connected sportsbooks. It is difficult to predict which state will adopt the new law for online gambling, but these states are implementing their regulations slowly and steadily.