Is sports gambling legal in the united states? That question has been in the news a lot lately.
The short answer is”yes.” Unless you reside in a state that has explicitly made it illegal, you, as an American, can lawfully make a sports wager at many different online gaming sites.
The long answer is more complicated, but not so complicated that it can’t be explained in simple terms. Below, we provide our top 10 best picks of the most powerful gaming websites for bettors in the united states and a crash course on the legality of sports betting in the USA.
USA
UNITED KINGDOM
EUROPE
ASIA
AFRICA
MEXICO
1
Bovada
Bovada lives up to their reputation as a consistently astonishing online gaming experience.
https://www.bovada.lv
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5 Welcome Bonus: 50% bonus up to $250
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2
BetOnline
Their massive maximum bonus size is a true head-turner for bigger bettors but BetOnline provides something for everybody.
https://www.betonline.ag
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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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3
SportsBetting.ag
New ownership has radically improved about this sportsbook – and – just to show they’re serious, their incentive offer is becoming more generous than ever.
http://www.sportsbetting.ag/
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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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4
GTbets
GTbets, or’Game Time’ bets, has always had our attention because of its unique promos that appeal to lovers of major North American sports.
http://www.gtbets.eu
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5 Deposit Bonus: 100% up to $500
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5
Xbet
XBet.ag is just one of the newer sportsbooks so it has its perks, fantastic performance on mobile devices and competitive bonuses to mention a couple. They’ve been shown to be a trustworthy sportsbook in a relatively brief time period.

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4 Deposit Bonus: 100% Nominal bonus up to $300
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6
MyBookie.ag
MyBookie is newer on the scene and has been making a strong case for itself. From rush payout choices to ancient lines they’re showing they have hustle.

Premiere Sports Betting, Sportsbook Sign Up | Legal Online Sports Betting


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5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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7
BetNow
BetNow is a newer sportsbook that’s highlighted by a wide array of futures, teasers, and parlays, plus varied casino offerings.
https://www.betnow.eu/
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4 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $1,000
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8
Skybook
Skybook offers a free half point on NFL and NBA spreads and totals. Lots of gambling options for major league sports: NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB.
https://www.skybook.ag
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3 Deposit Bonus: 100% up to $1,000
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9
BookMaker
BookMaker isn’t a terrible alternative for anyone, but it particularly caters to those who wager big money on the regular. With its large list of early lines, props, and parlays, it’s truly an industry pioneer.
http://www.bookmaker.eu
Overall Rating:
5 Deposit Bonus: 50% up to $300 deposit
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10
5Dimes
5Dimes is the Yankees of all sportsbooks–they’re safe, established, and offer a premium merchandise –but they also have exciting promotions reminiscent of minor league ballparks! It’s the best of both worlds.
https://www.5dimes.eu
Overall Rating:
3 Deposit Bonus: 50% bonus up to $520
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We’ve always found that Bovada, Bet Online, and SportsBetting.ag offer US bettors the maximum quality gambling experience. They’ve got outstanding track records of financial reliability and sound security, with well-developed desktop and mobile interfaces to boot. What is more, they have had time to find tune their host servers so they can offer stateside bettors a reactive, contemporary net platform to lay wagers on. With these books, you won’t have to hit the refresh button constantly wait for pages to load. You’ll be able to act on lines that are enticing fast, easily, and efficiently.
Legal
There Are Two Distinct Types of Sports Betting
Two Different Kinds of sports gambling are possibly available to Americans, and they each have their particular legal framework:
Sports betting within the united states, either at casinos, racetracks, or government authorized websites.
This was banned nearly anywhere in the US besides Nevada until the Supreme Court decision in NCAA vs Murphy (April 2018), which ruled that the prohibition on sports betting contained in the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act [PASPA] was unconstitutional.
After the Murphy conclusion, each state is free to legalize sports gambling within its borders, and we are closely monitoring the lawful status of sports betting in every state on this page.
Sports gambling at websites hosted outside of the USA.
This is by far the more popular type of sports gambling for Americans and, as such, is the principal focus of this report.
Is Online Sports Betting Legal in the United States?
Betting at foreign sportsbooks is frequently described as”prohibited” or known as a”legal gray area,” but it’s really not. Unless your state’s sports-betting laws make it illegal to use an offshore sports-betting site, it does not appear to be contrary to the law for Americans to place wagers at such sites.
At the time of writing, the following countries had active prohibitions on online sports betting:
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Michigan
South Dakota
Utah
The huge majority of states do not explicitly prohibit betting at offshore sportsbooks and, as a result, the huge majority of Americans use such websites to make their sport wagers. It is estimated that 12 — 15 million Americans were busy online sports bettors in 2017 alone.
There are federal laws in place that prohibit:
Offshore betting sites from offering their services to American residents (see the Wire Act), and also Financial institutions and overseas betting sites from accepting/making certain types of financial transactions from Americans.
But the framework made by the Wire Act and UIGEA will not mean it is illegal for Americans to use online gambling sites. As Las Vegas lawyer Barry Lieberman said in 2007,”Bettors who are recreational rather than in the business of wagering most likely don’t have to fret about Wire Act violations.”
In a sense, online gambling is somewhat like underage smoking (but less hard in your lungs). In the united states, it’s illegal for anyone to sell cigarettes to minors, but, broadly , it isn’t illegal for minors to smoke cigarettes, just like it is not illegal for (most) Americans to utilize an online sportsbook.
The end result is that, as long as you use a reputable sportsbook using a good track record of safeguarding user funds and supplying timely payouts (two of the most important factors we consider when evaluation and recommending online betting sites), your bankroll should be safe. No individual American has ever been prosecuted for using, funding, or attempting to finance an account at an offshore sportsbook,” according to a November 2017 post by Allen Moody.
That said, the federal laws in place at the moment have a practical impact on the ability of Americans to use online sportsbooks, especially in regards to withdrawing and depositing cash.
The next section describes what you want to know before you register so you are not taken by surprise.
Banking
While Americans shouldn’t be worried about being prosecuted for betting at an online sportsbook, the technical impact of the Wire Act and UIGEA is that Americans have limited choices when it comes to making deposits and withdrawals.
Which choices are available depends on what website you are using. Each of our reviews details the deposit and withdrawal options at the site, along with the websites, themselves, will even offer this information before you sign up, often under the FAQ, Help, or Getting Started section.
Without getting too bogged down in the specifics, here is what you can generally expect.
Deposits Alternatives for US Bettors
Most-common Less-common Unavailable
Visa American Express PayPal
Master Card Person to Person wire transfer Apple Pay
Bitcoin Money Order Google Purchase Visa gift cards Cashier’s Check —
Prepaid Credit Cards NetTeller —
Withdrawals Alternatives for US Bettors
Most-common Less-common Unavailable
Check Wire Transfer PayPal
Bitcoin Skrill Apple Pay
— NetTeller Google Pay
— Money Order —
Price changes notwithstanding, our professional view is that Bitcoin will be the best deposit and withdrawal alternative as
It doesn’t require sensitive personal information to be transmitted online;
It lends itself to secure transactions;
It helps for rapid deposits and deposits; and
Many USA betting sites offer generous Bitcoin-specific bonuses.
If you’re unfamiliar with the cryptocurrency, read our guide to sports betting with Bitcoin.
Signing Up
If you now feel comfortable that your online betting activities won’t land you in any legal problem (which you should), then you may be prepared to signup for your first sportsbook account. The factors you will want to consider when choosing the best website array beyond deposit and withdrawal options, obviously; our research indicates the five most-important variables for US bettors are:
safe transactions
trustworthy reputation
Free, simple, & quick trades lucrative/generous bonuses
Wide selection of sports
So do your research, compare and contrast the benefits of each website, and then join the 15 countless other Americans who are currently in on the action!

Read more: https://nuni.or.id/2019/10/06/top-5-online-sportsbooks-for-u-s-players/