Convenience And ContentmentĬonvenience and access still play prominent roles in propping up the offshore sports betting industry today. But even with most states legalizing or planning to legalize sports betting, the offshore sportsbook industry continues to do big business for various reasons.īettingUSA has never endorsed offshore sportsbooks, but if regulators and licensed operators are to successfully funnel consumers away from illegal offshore betting sites, it is paramount to understand why bettors continue to use them. The only options in the pre-2018 days were to travel to Nevada, bet with a local bookie, or use an offshore sportsbook.

Before the Supreme Court overturned PASPA, Americans in every state except Nevada had no means to bet on sports legally. The offshore sports betting industry is the result of prohibition. Even so, many remain undeterred and continue to offer sports betting to Americans contrary to US law. As a result, offshore sports betting operators now face the prospect of jailtime if they ever visit US territory. US authorities lack the jurisdiction to arrest the operators of illegal sports betting sites in locales such as Costa Rica, but that first arrest in 2000 set a precedent. That legal theory faceplanted in 2000 when the US government convicted and sentenced an American citizen to 21 months in prison and a $5,000 fine for offering sports betting to US residents in violation of the federal Wire Act. Early bookmakers operated on the premise that because their businesses were legal in their jurisdictions, US law had no jurisdiction over them. Offshore sportsbooks began taking wagers over the internet in the 1990s, and Costa Rica emerged as a popular destination for bookmakers for various reasons, including favorable laws. The early history of offshore sports betting is murky, but the first bookmakers set up shop overseas in the 1980s to take wagers from Americans by telephone. Alternatives In States Without Legal Online Sports BettingĪs the name suggests, offshore sportsbooks operate from outside the US to offer online sports betting to US residents.Advantages Of Licensed Online Sportsbooks.

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