This is the number one question we at Expert Players address when speaking with new players.  Some highly publicized recent legislation has led players everywhere to question the legality of the game.  The good news is that very little of this legislation applies directly to the players.  Restrictions more often than not are placed on the gambling institutions themselves; not on their members.  Still, while these restrictions apply more specifically to the casinos, they may have secondary effects on players of a certain nationality.

Throughout most of the EU online gambling is not only legal but is embraced and encouraged.  Some of the biggest online casinos regularly run television ads in these countries and have even become something of a household name.  The EU’s support of the industry has helped it to become a very popular site for the land-based operations behind online casinos.  The only legal issues that nationals within the EU need worry about are those that relate to the licensing of a gambling establishment.  While most countries readily accept online gambling, many keep it fair and safe by requiring all such institutions to acquire proper licensing.  It is not only illegal for unlicensed companies to function within the borders of these countries, but it may also be illegal for nationals to patronize unlicensed casinos.  If you are unsure about a casino’s licensing, their support staff should be able to provide you with all the necessary and relevant information that you need.

The United States of course is a whole other ballgame, so to speak.  How ironic that the country that started the online gambling craze should now be so restricted in its ability to participate in it.  Though many of the oldest and largest online casinos began in the U.S., recent legislation against online gambling has forced them to move to a more welcoming locale.  That legislation is the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) which was introduced as part of the SAFE Port Act of 2006.  The UIGEA makes it illegal for U.S. banks to transfer funds to an institution that participates in online gambling and vice versa.  While this ruling does not explicitly prohibit the act of online gambling itself, it does make it nearly impossible for some casinos to accept funds from American players or for U.S. casinos online to accept and process funds from their members.

While the difficulties created by the UIGEA have inspired some online casinos to stop accepting U.S. players, many other casinos still do.  After all, this legislation does NOT make it illegal for U.S. citizens to gamble online, it merely restricts a very specific type of funds transferring.  Because millions of Americans continue to patronize online casinos, and because the majority of the country’s population supports online gambling, many have projected that the UIGEA’s restrictions will someday be reversed.

The only instance where online gambling is explicitly illegal is in the case of children.  As a general rule of thumb, licensed casinos will not accept members that are under 18 years of age.