The USA has a bustling (online) casino market. The online gambling market alone is worth around 4 Billion Dollars and the offline casino market around 170 Billion Dollars. Making it one of, if not the biggest gambling markets in the world. It is therefor no wonder that illegal casinos run rampant and try to chip off as much of the legal market as possible.
But when is a casino considered illegal in the USA? And what are the risks associated with illegal casino USA? Lets find out in this article of QMRA!
What is considered an illegal casino USA?
The USA is not as other countries when it comes to legislation. There is the federal government, which governs country wide legislation, and there are the 51 states that can institute their own laws and regulations. However the regulations of the states should not be in conflict with the federal legislation.
Federal legislation, particular 18 USC §1955, states that there are three pillars to illegal gambling. An illegal gambling business can be construed as one when:
- It is in violation of the law of a State or political subdivision in which it is conducted
- It involves five or more persons who conduct, finance, manage, supervice, direct or own all or part of such business
- And, it has been or remains in substantially continuous operation for a period in excess of thirty days or has a gross revenue of $2,000 in any single day
These are continuous conditions, so they all have to be met to constitute an illegal gambling business.
The modern age of gambling
the conditions do seem a bit out of touch with modern times and you would not be wrong. Legislation was written in a time that gambling was merely offline. Therefor in modern internet days and an ever so vastly changing world the meaning has changed a bit. The main point is that the first pillar is now the one that is applicable the most. As States themselves regulate their gambling markets, such as:
- 39 States where sportsbetting is legalized,
- 8 States where online casino gambling is legalized
- and, 43 States where landbased casino gaming is legalized
A State such as Michigan in which all these forms of gambling are legalized, will have other regulations than a State like Texas which has only legalized land-based casino gaming. To be clear we are not taking in consideration lotteries, as these are mainly state owned and practically always legal. These are also exempt from the illegal casino legislation and have their own legislation.
What are the risks with illegal casinos?
The illegal casino USA market poses a real risk to anyone that makes use of it. It is not only illegal to operate an illegal casino business but you can also receive fines or even get jail time when participating in illegal gambling activities, as it is a misdemeanor in some States. However, the risks are mainly not from getting caught, but come from the illegal casinos themselves. Some of the risks associate with illegal gambling are:
- Financial risks
- Security and fraud risks
- Lack of consumer protection
Financial risks
When playing at a legal online casino the chances are you as a player will lose money, however with an illegal casino you can be certain of losing your money and much more. Getting into debt is one of the ways the illegal casino branches get a hold of players and keep them in their grip. When owing money to these parties a player opens themselves up to bribery, extortion and even physical harm, not only to themselves but also to people close to them. Parties involved in these illegal activities have no scruples to using any means necessary to get their money and when possible, a little extra.
Security and fraud risks
Illegal casinos do not particularly value honest games. Machines, tables, bets online or offline everything can be rigged. The house always wins and with illegal gambling a player can be sure of losing, whether justified or not. Other problems pertain your own security. Your information is not protected, nor do they find your health important in any way. Your personal information could be sold, especially with illegal online gambling.
Lack of consumer protection
Illegal casino USA do not have consumer protection high on their list of priorities. Their aim is to keep you playing as long as possible, with the highest stake possible, to lose the largest amount of money possible. The only reason for contacting players is to get them to gamble more. No customer service will contact you about your playing behavior or the funds you have lost. If a game suddenly doesn’t work anymore, good luck with getting your money back. Even if you win anything players will likely never get the pay-out through. These parties want you to get addicted to gambling and will not care what you must do to get the money.
Illegal casino USA: the verdict
If you want to be able to enjoy gambling for what it is and not be subject to any of the risks above, only play at a legalized (online) casino in the USA. To be sure if a casino is legal, check it for the State you are in, as types of gambling and the gambling operators which are legal differ greatly from State to State. Do you want to be sure that you play at a legit online casino? Than use the affiliates associated with QMRA. These affiliates will have the best legal offer of operators within a certain jurisdiction. Making sure that your time playing is always safe.
