I am not trying to spread panic, but I am worried. They might not be going after gamblers now, but if it is true, then they could at any time, and we would have no defense.
I would really like someone who understands the new law to respond to my question, not people who have the same level of knowledge that I do, which is not much!
I would really like someone who understands the new law to respond to my question, not people who have the same level of knowledge that I do, which is not much!
vegasman said:
Even if it was true that they were going after gamblers, what are you afraid of that they are going to lock you up and throw away the key. No one has the recources & time to prosecute gamblers. If that was even the case what would be wrong to go into court and defend yourself. How are you going to get 12 jurors to convict you of gambling, It would be impossible to get a jury pool for that. Everyone gambles for christ sake.
There are two laws:
One makes it illegal to take sports bets. Punished by jail.
The other makes it illegal to allow banking transfers. Punished by injunctions to tell the bank to knock it off and fines.
There is no FEDERAL law against betting. Some states have them. One man in N or S dakota paid a fine. He is the only internet bettor I know of every arrested.
In federal court in 1981, it was decided that no matter how sophisticated or how much a bettor bets it is not illegal. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN CHALLENGED.
Sean
One makes it illegal to take sports bets. Punished by jail.
The other makes it illegal to allow banking transfers. Punished by injunctions to tell the bank to knock it off and fines.
There is no FEDERAL law against betting. Some states have them. One man in N or S dakota paid a fine. He is the only internet bettor I know of every arrested.
In federal court in 1981, it was decided that no matter how sophisticated or how much a bettor bets it is not illegal. THIS HAS NEVER BEEN CHALLENGED.
Sean
X-Files said:
Think of the HIGH PROFILE poker players.
Heck, MIKE the MOUTH just said on TV last evening he lost $100,000 on one hand of ONLINE poker...........he doesn't seem to be worried about telling everyone on a national tv audience his love affair with high stakes online poker........are hundreds of other high profile poker players.
No one has the political will to go after individual bettors, and I'm not sure anyone has the desire. Even the biggest Bible thumping fundamentalists have never expressed much interest in doing so. The problem is that American bettors vote, their friends and families vote, and so forth. With the very tenuous balance of power in Congress and the forthcoming Presidential election no one is going to take the risk, assuming they *did* want to go after individual bettors which I'm not sure that anyone does.
There are plenty of things to worry about right now but the legal implications of betting sure doesn't look like one of them at the moment.
There are plenty of things to worry about right now but the legal implications of betting sure doesn't look like one of them at the moment.
Fishhead said:
This is one instance where the popularity of poker works in our favor. My local cigar store has a wi-fi connection and when I go in there during the day there's typically a half dozen or more high profile members of my community playing poker online. There's a couple of judges, a couple of employees of our state's justice department, lawyers, bankers, doctors, and so forth. The fact of the matter is that no one really has the desire, the resources and certainly not the political will to start going after individual bettors.
Also worth mentioning that when these high profile members of my community aren't playing poker online they're pestering me for sports betting tips so they can bet online or with a local guy...
Fishhead said:
I actually hope they do pass it ! That would just kill sports as we know it. All the money would just dry up because TV sets would just shut off. Most people watch sports for action and would find something else to do. I sure would. After several months of sinkhole ratings , gambling would be back to stay. Too much money in advertising, revenue etc. Let them hang themselves !!
RED EYE said:
This is 100% true! Sports have made what us literary types like to call a "Faustian bargain" with gambling. No matter how much the NCAA, NFL, etc. publicly condemn it the popularity of their sports would take a major hit without betting. As I noted in another thread, I know no one who watches ESPN News who isn't a bookmaker or a bettor...
