Scroll down this page to learn general information about CIVIL LITIGATION & CRIMINAL LAW. Do not consider the following legal advise or directly related to your case without speaking to an Attorney.

1. Is online gambling legal?

In the United States of America the short anwser is "No". [Section to be updated shortly with respect to new U.S. legislation.] In many other countries, yes. For example, Antigua allows online gambling and has issued licenses to online casinos. Kahnawake, a Mohawk Territory in Canada, also licenses online casinos. More recently the UK has opened the Isle of Man to casino licensing (see UK Embraces Online Gambling) as has the Philippines in Cagayan (see Asian Jurisdiction Now Offers Internet Gaming Licenses).

The situation in the United States continues to be a more complicated. Some states have passed anti i-gaming legislation while many others have proposed related bills. At the Federal level there continues to be a number of such initiatives. No definitive legislation has emerged as a front-runner. Many of the US efforts are aimed at outright bans on internet gaming but remain mired in the seemingly endless political jockeying that has long characterized this issue in the US.

In response to the situation in the US many online casinos no longer accept wagers from United States residents. Even so, some estimates indicate that as much as 90% of online gamblers are in the US. At the time of this writing no internet casino is known to have it's servers located within US borders.

2. The Online Gambling Bill Debate: Prohibition vs. Regulation?

[To be updated] In the words of Senator Kyl, "we are closer than ever before to passing gambling legislation." Online casinos starting appearing back in 1996, and have exploded in popularity due to ease of use and anonymity. Ever since they first appeared, members of Congress have been actively trying to pass legislation that would ban online gambling. Two bills are currently slated to go before the Senate: the Kyl bill and the Bacchus sponsored bill.

This site is looking to address the question of prohibition vs regulation when it comes to online gambling. The anti-gambling bills have become more moderate over the years, as they have failed every time due to their initial harshness. Originally, the bills sought to criminalize both the owners and patrons of online casinos; the bills in their current forms seek to stem the flow of funds from American citizens to the online casinos, by making the use of electronic financial instruments illegal for use with online casinos. This would include credit cards and other such instruments.

Or should we take the approach already used by Britain and Australia, and regulate online casinos rather than ban them? Should people be able to decide from themselves how they spend their money, or is the government right in attempting to ban the use of online casinos by American citizens?

We have gathered some input from people both pro-prohibition and pro-regulation, and leave you to make up your own minds.