Before you access any US-based online casino, you should know that gambling is not legal all through the United States. In fact many question if playing bingo here is legal because it is unclear if it’s considered as gambling.
In this article, we will address the question of bingo as a gambling activity and guide you through the United States’ applicable federal laws.
The legislation and state makeup of the United States makes this question quite complex because both federal and state governments have law-making powers.
Since federal law almost always supersedes the state laws, we will focus mainly on the federal legislation’s implications.
Let us look at how the United States regulates gaming, online gambling, and, more specifically, online bingo.
Federal Law Overview
To begin, let us find out if playing online bingo is allowed according to the federal law. The United States has one of the strictest gambling legislation in the world. This is a little confusing for many because the United States is also home to the biggest brick and mortar casinos in the world. I’m sure you’ve heard of the infamous LA gambling scene even if you’ve never been to the United States.
Unfortunately, these laws were passed way before the birth of online gaming. It means that the majority are out of touch with what’s going on. Even though the federal-state system allows each state to create its own laws and regulations, federal laws tend to take premise over local laws.
Here are the federal laws applicable to online gaming and gambling;
The Wire Act
The Wire Act was created in 1961, way before the birth of online bingo. It is an ancient piece of legislation used to rule on online gaming and gambling for US customers. Its original objective was to stop gambling activities at organized events.
The reason why it is still deemed applicable now is due to its inclusion of the words wire communication, which at the time stood for facilitating betting. Technically, those same words can mean online gambling because wired communication easily translates to the internet. To find out exactly what The Wire Act says, look at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/
The Wire Act Overhaul
In 2011, the US Department of Justice declared that The Wire Act should only apply to sports contests and events. This turnabout gave individual states the authority to form their own gambling regulations.
Certain types of gambling were then decriminalized, and online bingo was one of them. Even though bingo is considered as a gambling activity, it’s accepted by terms of The Wire Act as of 2011. You can now access interactive bingo games on different US-based casinos. We recommend taking a look at https://www.bestbingowebsites.com/new-bingo-sites/ to experience the latest features.
Post-2011, gamblers have been living in confusion as one is never sure if their state criminalizes certain gambling activities or not. Because of this, there are fewer international sites that target American players.
Interstate Transportation of Wager Paraphernalia Act
Like the Wire Act, The Interstate Transportation of Wager Paraphernalia Act was also passed in 1961. It is yet another pre-historic legislation that rules against online gaming and gambling.
This act explicitly focuses on prohibiting the transfer of betting information in the United States. According to this legislation, gamblers are prohibited from sending betting information via the internet, post, or other forms of interstate transportation.
Since the language used in this legislation is broad, it remains applicable to today’s internet commerce.
Note that under this act, playing bingo is not considered to be gambling. It only targets sports betting the same as The Wire Act.
Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (UIGEA)
Unlike the 1961 acts that target gamblers, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act targets the big fish. It applies to companies that supply online gambling games, internet gambling providers, and companies that facilitate gambling payments. To find out exactly what this act says, look at https://www.fdic.gov/news/financial-institution-letters/.
Its main objective is to prevent fraud and money laundering. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act does not allow credit card companies and banks to process payments associated with gambling sites. It also prevents online gambling sites from receiving payments from individuals with criminal records.
It is yet another law that stops many gambling sites from accepting US-based gamblers. The act considers bingo as a gambling activity because it involves monetary exchange. However, it doesn’t outlaw all types of payment methods. If you use prepaid digital cards or e-wallets to fund your account, playing bingo is not illegal in this case.
Conclusion
As you can see, the US federal legislations related to online bingo require in-depth analyses. US-based gamblers should understand the implications of these legislations to avoid falling on the wrong side of the law. As it is common with most legislations, the devil is always in the details.
