Sportsbooks and You
All Sorts of Sports
The list of sports you can wager on today over the Internet is clearly growing at a tremendous rate as increasingly more sport fans are getting in on the online sports betting action, and as more than just mere spectators. Got a hunch which tennis favourite's gonna take the Davis Cup this year? Go ahead, place a bet. Wondering what all the noise is about over the America's NFL Super Bowl? How about millions of dollars in wagers, and winnings!
Of course, European football is also skyrocketing all over the globe in terms of popularity. The value of just how much money was wagered last year on football alone is hard to calculate seeing as how there are so many betting outfits, both online and off. Again, the figure is in the multi-millions of dollars. While these sports book companies are more than happy to accept your stakes on any of a number of sports and various bets, the privately held firms are less eager when it comes to sharing their overall numbers.
Betting with a Sports Book... Legally
The global online gambling business is undergoing a number of changes as it adjusts to the ongoing demands of consumers. This not only goes for online casinos , poker rooms and bingo halls etc., but online sports betting sites as well. In certain regions of the world, playing games for real cash over the Internet is currently deemed illegal. In their own attempt to prevent freedom-loving American citizens from participating in this modern-day phenomenon of gambling over the Web, the USA passed their now infamous UIGEA. It should be noted, however, that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act does not prohibit gamblers from placing bets with online betting firms. Instead it prohibits banks and other financial institutions like credit card companies from transferring money between online gamblers and betting service providers, and vice versa.
Ban the Ban!
Opposition against the gambling ban in the United States has been mounting ever since the law was enacted in October 2006. Indeed, the Act is showing increasing signs of being overturned due to - among other reasons - repeated announcements by bank officials declaring their inability to police the massive number of transactions between gamers and gaming companies. Contrary to popular belief, the US law has these financial institutions and gaming companies in their crosshairs, and not the sports book, casino games and poker players themselves.
Still, our advice to every online sports betting fan is that you first determine whether or not gambling over the World Wide Web is permitted by law in your particular region. A number of European countries still forbid online wagering, but this too is coming up against growing opposition, particularly the European Commission. Analysts are virtually unanimous in agreeing that European football is just too hot a commodity for sports betting enthusiasts to pass up.
According to EC guidelines, all European countries are required to permit the free flow of goods and services (including online gambling) between member states. How this stipulation plays out in the future is anyone's bet.
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