Maximum make-ups for these enhanced match Bets will be consistent with the individual Sports rules (note that, for some Sports, Match Bet markets will have pre-set Maximum and Minimum make-ups in order to control volatility in extraordinary situations, thereby keeping it in line with what might be considered more usual). General Sports and Event Betting Rules 1. All sporting and non-sporting events must take place on the date and at the site scheduled - unless otherwise specified. Time changes within a day do not affect wagers. Blog » Betting Strategy » 7 Golden Rules of Sports Betting! 7 Golden Rules of Sports Betting! This is the first in a series of articles on the 7 golden rules, first, an overview. Understand the concept of value. This is the first and most critical factor! If you don’t have this, just walk away and leave betting.
When discussing legal online sports betting, the majority of America's government has a very regressive, prohibition-style attitude towards it, buying into a negative perspective concerning the morality of gambling entertainment. This is what has led to a variety of state gambling laws in the past.
There are no US federal laws that make it a crime for Americans to place bets at offshore sportsbooks that are operating legally within the industry. There are two states that legally prohibit all online gambling, domestic or offshore, leaving residents in Connecticut and Washington without legally sanctioned online betting options, though they have yet to start enforcing those restrictions.
For the most part, state lawmakers are becoming more progressive concerning betting entertainment and recognize the value that this type of revenue stream can bring to a state. Individual states are actively analyzing what the legalization of domestic sports gambling can provide them with in terms of opportunities, tourism, and tax revenue, and many have already taken action one way or the other through new legislation.
Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia currently permit state-regulated online sports gambling, with nearly two dozen additional states having launched land-based sportsbooks. Individual territories began embracing sports betting the moment that PASPA was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the infamous NJ case, with multiple states having had their legislation ready and waiting should the ruling go in the Garden State's favor.
Below we'll take a look at the relevant US federal gambling laws, and explain how state gambling laws intersect with federal laws to impact online and brick and mortar sportsbook gambling, as well as what these laws have to say about the legal status of offshore sports betting entertainment.
The Federal Laws on the Books
The sections below will detail and explain how each major federal law affects domestic gambling opportunities in the US.
The Federal Wire Act
Passed back in 1961, the Federal Wire Act was made law in an effort to curtail the illegal gambling activities taking place over the phone by organized crime syndicates. It prohibited the transmission of wagers or betting information from being carried across state lines via telegraph or telephone. The Federal Wire Act targeted these illegal bookie operations as a means to curb the mafia from manipulating games and making a profit through these tactics.
This law was strictly focused on interstate gambling, and only targeted those accepting bets and not the individuals placing the bets. The goal was to crack down on illegal gambling services, not prosecute bettors. Between the DOJ Legal Opinion of 2011 and the repeal of PASPA, today's application of the Wire Act prohibits any gambling business from accepting bets across state lines or from foreign sources.
With the changes still being implemented, we are not sure yet how this will affect those states that had entered into interstate gambling pacts with one another, sharing player pools for their online gambling initiatives. Once that aspect of the legal situation becomes more clear we will update that information here.
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act
Also known as the Bradley Act, or just PASPA, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was a sweeping federal regulation that passed in 1992, with the supposed intent of protecting the integrity of sports by making sports betting illegal.
At the time the bill was passed, there were sports lotteries in Delaware, Montana, and Oregon, as well as licensed and regulated sports betting in Nevada, so those four states were exempt.
The law effectively prevented the expansion of the sports betting market throughout the United States in what many categorized as a discriminatory law that favored a few states while restricting others.
Harif Sport Betting Rules
New Jersey took on the mission of challenging the law and after several years of court battles, was given a favorable outcome by the highest court in the land as SCOTUS ruled PASPA as unconstitutional, nullifying the law.
As of May 14, 2018, each individual state now has the authority to dictate sports betting laws within their borders. They can now choose to authorize or prohibit sports betting at their pleasure. Following PASPA's repeal, we have seen multiple states move forward with legislation that legalizes sports gambling at the state level.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
This is the big one that shook the gambling industry to its core. Online gambling really started to explode during the early 2000's, especially in the realm of online poker. In 2006, then-President Bush signed into law the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, known all over as the UIGEA. In a nutshell, the UIGEA placed very stringent regulatory restrictions concerning how gambling-related transactions could be processed.
The most reputable sites started a countdown and allowed Americans to withdraw and closeout their accounts. Many trusted gambling sites left the US market at this time. After the dust settled, and the financial and gambling industries learned how to comply with the regulatory oversight provided by the UIGEA, many of these reputable gambling sites have returned to provide services to US sports bettors.
The UIGEA did end up making the online gambling market safer for both the bettors and the operators by imposing a more reliable and stricter regulatory structure for how gambling-related transactions are processed. Gambling sites invested in top tier payment processors while all parties implemented higher-level security protocols to ensure the validity and safety of those transactions that are processed.
While US online gambling funding options are still somewhat limited in some regards, things have stabilized. The emergence of cryptocurrencies have filled the void left by the elimination of US-friendly e-wallets and failed credit card transactions. The UIGEA does not make it illegal for Americans to gamble online. The law simply regulates how online gambling transactions are processed.
The 2011 Department of Justice's Interpretation of Federal Laws
With the growth of online commerce, several states became interested in offering lottery game services online. This raised questions concerning the application of the Federal Wire Act, driving the DOJ to issue a clarification of the law's reach.
The Department of Justice ruled, and accurately so, that the federal government had no right to tell states that they could not sanction online gambling and therefore established that each US state has the authority to determine their own fate concerning online gambling with the exception of sports betting.
The repeal of PASPA took care of freeing sports gambling as the last remaining federally prohibited form of state-regulated online gambling. As of now, all 50 states have the legal ability to legalize and offer online gambling such as casinos, poker, bingo, and sports wagering. To date, only a handful of states have taken advantage of legal domestic online gambling. However, many states have pending bills to allow various forms of sports betting.
The 2019 DOJ Interpretation of Federal Gambling Laws
Following the repeal of PASPA in 2018, the reach of the Federal Wire Act has again come into question. In a new interpretation, which many believe was coerced by anti-online gambling activist Sheldon Adelson, the Department of Justice has indicated that the Wire Act prohibits not only interstate wagers but also the sharing of information across state lines.
This determination will certainly harm those states that have entered into interstate gambling compacts to share player pools and resources with other states. The opinion is being formally challenged through a lawsuit headed up by New Hampshire. As the situation unfolds, we will provide updates here.
What You Need to Know Going Forward
All of this legal information is good knowledge to have under your belt, no doubt about it. However, all you really need to know going forward is that there are no federal laws making gambling illegal in the United States either online or offline, and this includes domestic and offshore sports betting. States now determine the legal status of all gambling entertainment within their borders. As a sports betting resource guide, we want to make this point clear.
For those of you interested in betting on sport but who live in a state that has not authorized state-regulated sportsbooks, you'll have to either travel to a state with legalized sports betting or use a legitimate offshore sportsbook such as the ones you find listed on this site. You can check out our list of states that allow sports betting here or follow our list of recommended online sportsbooks.
US Gambling Laws
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Football
- For wagering purposes, a football game (NFL or college) becomes official after fifty-five (55) minutes of play.
- Games lasting under 55 minutes constitute 'No Action' or 'Push/Cancel' and all money is refunded.
- Wagering on the game period spread, moneyline, or total (over/under) include any overtime scoring.
- Half-time (2nd Half) wagering includes any overtime scores. Fourth Quarter wagering does NOT include overtime scores.
- Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Baseball
- A baseball game becomes official for moneyline wagering purposes after 4 1/2 innings if home team is winning, or 5 innings if visiting team is winning.
- If a game is cancelled or suspended, the winner is determined by the score after the last full inning (unless the home team scores to tie, or takes the lead in the bottom half of the inning, in which case the winner is determined by the score at the time the game is called).
- Money will be refunded if the home team ties the game, and the game is then suspended.
- Events do not carry over to the following day (unless otherwise specified).
- For runlines and game totals (over/under), a baseball game becomes official after 8 1/2 innings if home team is winning, or 9 innings if visiting team is winning.
- If a game goes past 9 innings and is not completed (ie suspended, curfew, rain delay, etc.), there is action on game total and runline wagers.
- Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Basketball
- For wagering purposes, a basketball game becomes official after forty-three (43) minutes of play for pros, and (35) minutes of play for college.
- Games lasting under official time constitute 'No Action' or 'Push/Cancel' and all money is refunded.
- Wagering on the game period spread, moneyline, or total (over/under) include any overtime scoring.
- Half-time (2nd Half) wagering includes any overtime scores. Fourth Quarter wagering does NOT include overtime scores.
- Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Hockey
- For wagering purposes, a hockey game (pro or college) becomes official after fifty-five (55) minutes of play.
- Games lasting under official time constitute 'No Action' or 'Push/Cancel' and all money is refunded.
- Games must take place on the site and date scheduled. (unless otherwise specified)
- Overtime scores are included on all game period wagers. Third Period wagering does NOT include overtime scores.
- Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Boxing
If you wager on a fighter, and the fight ends in a draw and there is no draw option, the wager is 'No Action' or 'Push/Cancel' and all money is refunded. If there is a draw option and the fight ends in a draw, then all wagers on the fighters will be settled as a loss, and the wagers on the draw will be deemed a winner.
Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Soccer
There will be 3 columns for the three betting options: Home, Draw , and Away. Click on the corresponding odds and this will be your wager. The result of the game is decided after regulation play (90 minutes including injury time). Overtime, the Golden Goal rule, and penalty kicks (after regulation play) are not taken into consideration for soccer bets unless otherwise stipulated.
Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Tennis
Fixed Odds
Like other similar types of contests, you may wager on a player to win a tournament at fixed odds. Tournament wagers are considered 'All-In.' Refunds are not given if a player withdraws.
Match-ups
Head to head match-ups are available between contestants. A ball must be served for head to head match-up wagers to stand. Otherwise, wagers will be 'No Action' or 'Push/Cancel' and all money will be refunded. Wagers placed on match-ups WILL have action even if the match is postponed (due to weather) and completed on a later date.
Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Golf
Before a tournament begins there will be a list of golfers with their odds of winning the tournament beside them. Click on the golfer/odds and those are the odds you be given. So if the golfer is listed at 1000 you will win $1000 for every $100 wagered.
Single day matchups are wagers on the particular day's 18-holes. Holes played as part of a completion from the previous day's round, and playoff holes are not included in Single Day matchups. Should a day's round be shortened, or otherwise affected due to weather conditions, and the round is continued the next day, the full 18 holes will be considered in determining the outcome of the bet (even if they are played over two days). If both members of the matchup do not complete the full 18 holes, all bets are 'No Action'. If both players end the 18 holes in a tie, the bet is considered a 'No Action' wager.
Note: Please see limits to see the maximum allowed to bet on golf games.
If a tournament does not go the scheduled number of holes (usually 72), and PGA officials agree to shorten it, wagers are still valid.
Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Auto Racing
There will be a list of drivers with their odds of winning the event beside them. Click on the driver/odds and those are the odds you are given. So if the driver is listed at 1000 you will win $1000 for every $100 wagered. Proposition wagers will also be offered for a driver vs driver wager.
Auto Match-Ups
When wagering on a match-up, both drivers involved must start the race (cross the start/finish line) otherwise the wager is 'No Action' or 'Push/Cancel' and money is refunded. In a case where the starting driver is replaced during the race with another driver from the same team, the position the new driver finishes in will be awarded to the original driver. This holds for wagering on win odds and/or match-ups.
*Las Vegas Rules apply for any rules not mentioned here.
Sports Betting Rules Over Under
**Please verify with your sportsbook for more accurate betting rules.
Sports Betting Rules Football
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