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Potential risks
Basically,
only operators of online gambling sites can get into trouble if
they don’t have licenses. Players are not actually prohibited to
participate in online gambling games although of course there will
be risks to their money if they choose to play on sites that don’t
have permits.
Another
risk that players on online gambling sites that do not have
permits is the fact that their personal information will be an
open book to the operators of the site. If the site turns out to
be bogus, this will pose a great risk on the player… that is if he
has not already lost his privacy to online hackers which can
easily hack the information.
Only operators
Most states
are already quite eager to legalize online gambling. However, the
government is very cautious on the subject because online gambling
sites can be used by money launderers for their illegal
operations.
So far,
there is no single law in the Unites States that deems playing in
online casinos illegal. However, the Wire Act, which is often used
or cited in reference to illegal online gambling has a section
which says that people who are engaged in the business of online
gambling can be fined or imprisoned but the act of course only
covers the individual who presides over the business.
This
however was cleared up when the US Supreme Court refused to review
the case of Jay Cohen. The Wire Act, it seems, does not prohibit
Internet gambling. This decision was upheld by the US Fifth
Circuit Federal Appeals Court, which stated that “the Wire Act
concerns gambling on sporting events or contests…”
One of the
bills that are filed in Iowa by James Leach, inhibits people to
gamble online although there is nothing in the bill that
criminalizes the act. Several bills have in fact been proposed,
targeting online wagers and online gambling. There are however no
bills that have so far targeted the players. It seems that
although some would like to discourage the proliferation of
gambling sites and the participation of people in online gambling,
no one wants to make it a criminal act.
For some
states, online gambling per se is illegal but the letter of the
law does not penalize the players but the perpetrators. A long as
players remain only players in the game and do not act as a
bookie, an agent, or an owner, then there will be no problem with
the existing law. This is of course true with all online games
including online poker.
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