Gaming Law
Gaming or Gambling is restricted in America, though its popularity is increasing, and thus this area of the law is growing steadily. Laws related to gaming are important not only for those involved with gaming operations, like casinos, bingo, or poker tournaments, but also for the average person who wants to know whether he or she can legally start a card group, a fantasy football league, or an NCAA tournament bracket betting pool at the office.
Many think of gambling and gaming laws as being or relevance only to areas like Las Vegas and Atlantic city, but in reality, every state has its own gambling laws. In fact, including state run lotteries, almost every state has some form of legalized gambling, though casino-style gambling is much less widespread. Gambling is legal under US federal law, but there are significant restrictions on online gambling. And, federal law provides significant carve outs to allow for Native American casino gambling and other types of gaming.
Nevada and Louisiana are the only two states where casino-style gambling is legal statewide, though both states also heavily regulate these activities. Many other states allow casino-style gambling in very small geographic areas (such as Atlantic City in New Jersey).
Online gambling has been more strictly regulated by the US federal government. Laws regarding online gambling include the Federal Wire Act of 1961 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA). In response to these heavy federal regulations, much online gaming has moved offshore, with some foreign providers simply ignoring American laws.
The resources below will provide additional information regarding gaming and gambling laws, and the "Law Firms" tab, above, will provide you with the identities of attorneys in your jurisdiction who are experienced in this area of practice.
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