Whenever the words gambling online appear together in a sentence, it usually causes people to raise an eyebrow and think quietly to themselves, “Is that legal?”  It depends upon where you are in the world, but in many instances, gambling online is perfectly legal.

There is not space here (nor do I have the legal expertise to be dispensing with foolproof advice) to give you a completely fulsome account of all situations, so a broad overview shall have to suffice.  Whether you reside in the EU or the US, there can be some quite confusing and generally unclear directives about the legality or otherwise of gambling online.

Largely the European Union has taken a pro-gambling online stance and has sought regulation and legislation, rather than outright banning, which would in fact run counter to EU law.  In the US, attempts to legislate have been a little ad hoc, with legislation working on a state-by-state basis.  Federal law impositions were sought on gambling online, but have proved difficult to come by, although there is now a weak statute that implies that gambling online is indeed illegal.  It has not completely shut down online gambling operations, but it has meant that if you visit online gambling sites, many of them will have an American flag with a no-entry sign plastered over the top of it, designating that gamblers based in the US are prohibited from playing there.