WANNA MAKE A BET?

A page detailing Internet Sports Gambling and it's Effects on Society

BACKGROUND ON INTERNET SPORTS GAMBLING

     Internet sports gambling allows users from all around the world to bet on almost any sport imaginable from the comfort of their own home.  All you need is a computer with an internet connection and a credit card (or some other form of cash account that is not based in the United States).  With those two simple things you can log on to one of hundreds of site on the Web dedicated to sports gambling, become a member, and begin gambling in almost no time!

     This may sound simple but, in actuality, it is not.  In the United States gambling over wire mediums (i.e., telephone) is illegal as is paying for sports gambling debts with money being drawn from a cash account based in the United States.  As this page is being created debate continues over whether or not the internet should be considered a "wire medium".  Debate also rages over whether or not a United States citizen can be allowed to operate a sports gambling even if the site is based in a foreign country where online gambling is accepted.  Currently, online gambling is illegal in the USA but, because of the ambiguous nature of current laws, it remains to be seen whether or not a US citizen can operate an online sports gambling site in a foreign country.

 

HOW DOES ONLINE SPORTS GAMBLING WORK?

      It's quite simple, really.  Online sports gambling sites are based in countries that allow internet gambling.  There are currently about 25 nations that allow online sports gambling.  Two of the most popular are Antigua and Barbuda, two small island nation in the Caribbean.  Other nations that allow such practices include: Five Australian territories, Austria, Belgium, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Grand Turk, Grenada, Honduras, the Russian territory of Kalmykia, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent.  

     A few online sports gambling sites require that you download materials to gamble on the site; most do not.  Once you are registered on a site gambling is a breeze!  If you win, money is credited to the credit card account you provide.  If you loose, money is withdraw from an account.

 

WHY IS ONLINE SPORTS GAMBLING FAVORED ONLINE CASINO GAMBLING?

     First of all, gambling on an online sports gambling site is easier than gambling at an online casino.  Most sports gambling sites don't require you to download anything in order to begin gambling while online casinos require that you either download materials or they will send software to your home that you need in order to begin gambling.  In addition, online sports gambling has more credibility than does online casino gambling because it is assumed that the results of sports contests are not affected by the operators of gambling sites.  The odds of winning at a casino style site could be tipped in the operator's favor without the gambler even knowing it.

 

THE HIGH AVAILABILITY OF ONLINE SPORTS GAMBLING

     There are over 100 online sports gambling on the Web that allow users to bet on almost any sport imaginable.  Revenues from all online gambling (both casino-style and sports) was expected to reach 2.3 billion dollars in 2002.  In 1999, internet sports gambling accounted for 750 million dollars in revenues and is increasing each year.  Certainly, online sports gambling is big business.  The following examples are only a sampling of the many internet sports gambling sites in existence. 

 

THE EFFECTS OF SPORTS GAMBLING ON SOCIETY

      During the past few years the amount of people using the internet has dramatically increased.  Along with this increase of usage, confidence levels in internet financial transactions has also increased dramatically.  Many consumers (and gamblers) now feel a sense of security when it comes to dealing with matters of money online.  Not surprisingly, the amount of internet gambling has also increased dramatically.

      Internet can have positive or negative depending on how it is used and internet sports gambling is not an exception to this rule.  While internet sports gambling may seem harmless, (and that is probably true for the majority of users) this may not always be the case.  In the United States the legal gambling age is 18 years old.  Remember, however, that the internet can be used anonymously by people of all ages.  Also remember that the internet is used on quite a regular basis by young people.  Inevitably, an unsuspecting youth could be lured to a gambling site without knowing the potential dangers of what they are doing.  Most internet sports gambling providers take few precautionary measures to insure that people using their site are of legal age.  Most sites require that users enter in an age but do little to verify it and certainly make few attempts to actually discourage underage users. As a result it is very is for underage gamblers to log on to web sites with their parents (or even their own) credit cards and begin gambling.  

      Internet gambling is especially evident in college where students have strong ties to their college's teams.  Many students feel that gambling on their team is a good way to show support.  This places a great deal of pressure on the colligate athlete.  In some cases, college athletes have been paid money by crooked bookmakers to intentionally have a bad performance in hopes that the team will loose.  This obviously ruins the integrity of the sport.

      Internet sports gambling is also an excellent haven for pathological gamblers.  Online gambling allows users to gamble 24 hours a day from the comfort of their own homes.  Gamblers who engage is such extreme gambling practices feel sheltered from potential criticism and ridicule and fail to seek the help they really need.  Some may say that such individuals are only hurting themselves but, in fact, gambling is not a victimless crime!  For example, everyone's tax dollars pay for legal issues involving people who become bankrupt as a result of gambling.  Criminal activity is also prevalent on internet sports gambling sites.  Site providers can take down their sites in seconds, taking with them valuable credit card information and leaving unpaid winnings behind.  Cases of such occurrences are well documented.  See links to casino-reports page at the bottom of this site for more information.

 

REGULATIONS

     There are two schools of thought regarding the regulation of internet sports gambling in the United States.  The US government as well as individual state governments have been adamant about cracking down on internet sports gambling in the past few years.  Some states have banned internet gambling within their borders but unless each person's computer is monitored 24 hours a day this law is difficult to enforce at best and downright impractical at worst.  Instead of totally banning online gaming, the US government has looked into targeting site providers in hopes of reducing the amount of gambling sites available as well as creating legislation that makes wire gambling illegal.  However, this raises serious questions about jurisdiction and whether the United States has the right to target United States citizens operating gambling sites in foreign countries.  To date, over 20 US citizens have been charged with operating gambling sites in foreign nations and one, Jay Cohen, has actually been convicted.  Read more about jurisdiction and the case of Jay Cohen by visiting http://www.monmouthlp.org/app42500.html 

Janet Reno leads the fight against internet gambling.  

Photo from www.crimelibrary.com

 

MY PERSONAL FEELINGS

     The internet is expanding and changing at an overwhelming rate.  Therefore, controlling who does what and where online is an almost impossible task.  This is an unfortunate casualty of today's technical world.  Therefore, the United States should spend its time more wisely by first hunting down corrupt online gambling sites and ensuring that children are not lured to ANY gambling sites.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

     Thank you very much for visiting my site on internet sports gambling.  If you would like to read more about this fascinating topic, please visit the following sites.  They were used to get just about all of the information contained on this page...

http://www.monmouthlp.org/app42500.html  This site was used to get information regarding the case of Jay Cohen and the debate over jurisdiction.  Accessed November, 2002.

http://www.casino-gambling-reports.com  I used this site to find most of the information in the report other than the Jay Cohen case study.  Specifically, I found out internet sports gambling worked and which countries allowed internet gambling from this site.   Accessed November, 2002.

http://www.youbet.com  This site was highlighted in the power point presentation that corresponded to this web page.  I used it to get a feel for how live internet betting is done.  Accessed November, 2002.  

Created in December, 2002 by University of Rhode Island student Joshua Goodwin