# How do you bet in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577 "2014-03-13T00:22:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/21 "2014-03-13T18:24:10Z")
You can also play poker on several online sites like Poker Stars, but there are only two states at present that will allow you to bet money. Otherwise, you have to live outside the US in a country that does allow it. There’s also off track betting on horse races or you can just go to the racetracks and bet. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/22 "2014-03-13T18:43:14Z")
The state-sponsored OTBs in New York closed a few years ago due to lack of profitability. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/23 "2014-03-13T20:45:07Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Pools are pretty common for big or important sports games/events (Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup finals, NBA finals, etc). The pot comes from the people in the pool, who pay a specific amount for a square on the pool grid. [Here’s an example of a betting pool sheet](http://cdn.bettingsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Picks.jpg). It’s not uncommon for the same group to have more than one sheet (with different numbers) and you can buy more than one square if you want. > > These can be REALLY popular in workplaces, even though they’re totally illegal. That’s probably why I still almost always see hand-made and copied sheets instead of neatly formatted Excel spreadsheets. A lot of workplaces will turn a blind eye to a pool as long as they are quiet and discreet about it. > > Then again, you have places like the city offices where my mom works, where the cops are the ones who make all betting pool sheets. 😃 And, next week, you’ll see a ton of informal / technically illegal pools for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, in pretty much every office in the country. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/24 "2014-03-13T20:49:24Z")
> [@urban1a](#): > > …Other that that, as far as I know, gambling is illegal in Colorado… Central City and Blackhawk are awash in casinos. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/25 "2014-03-13T20:52:29Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > And, next week, you’ll see a ton of informal / technically illegal pools for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, in pretty much every office in the country. Wow really? holding such an informal bet amongst friends is illegal? What about a person to person wager, can I bet you £10 that Federer wins Wimbledon this year? In fact, what about cards? Much of my teenage years were spent playing cards, pool or darts for small wagers in the pub, all above board. Can you do that in the US? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/26 "2014-03-13T20:57:24Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Wow really? holding such an informal bet amongst friends is illegal? > What about a person to person wager, can I bet you £10 that Federer wins Wimbledon this year? > > In fact, what about cards? Much of my teenage years were spent playing cards, pool or darts for small wagers in the pub, all above board. Can you do that in the US? People do that all the time here, yes. And, yes, it’s likely to be technically illegal in most, if not all, locations, but it’s a crime that would be rarely, if ever, prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/27 "2014-03-13T21:01:53Z")
We in Detroit can always go over the river to Windsor’s sports book, but they are weird. Parlays only on today’s games only, and real shitty odds, so few people do. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/28 "2014-03-13T21:17:05Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The state-sponsored OTBs in New York closed a few years ago due to lack of profitability. That was just in New York City and I think there was some corruption involved as well. There’s an OTB just down the street from me. That said, if Saratoga is racing and I want to place a bet I might just head up there to bet. For any sort of parimutuel, I use NYRA’s website. Very easy to get money in and out of and completely legal (horse racing is a defined exception in the UIGEA.) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/29 "2014-03-13T21:19:50Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > People do that all the time here, yes. And, yes, it’s likely to be technically illegal in most, if not all, locations, but it’s a crime that would be rarely, if ever, prosecuted. Every once in a while a poker game will get busted if it’s regular and the stakes are high enough. Sometimes a guy who gets invited by a friend of a friend will lose his shirt and want his money back, and when they tell him to go pound sand he’ll snitch just to be an asshole. I’ve seen this a few times but again, these are games where thousands, and even 10’s of thousands of dollars change hand; it’s not the game you play with your neighbors once a month in the basement for nickels and dimes. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/30 "2014-03-13T21:21:08Z")
Yeah, I doubt\* anyone would get in trouble on an individual level. The gov would be more concerned with the person running the pool, and probably then only if larger-scale. But I have seen bars that have the “$3 a square” type boards up for years and are unmolested. \*Can never never say it didn’t not happen at least once, but let’s say it won’t happen in 99.999999…% of cases. Another phenomenon are cardrooms/card clubs. The only have poker etc. I’m not sure of the legal distinction, but they are in some areas where casinos aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/31 "2014-03-14T01:23:37Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Wow really? holding such an informal bet amongst friends is illegal? > What about a person to person wager, can I bet you £10 that Federer wins Wimbledon this year? > > In fact, what about cards? Much of my teenage years were spent playing cards, pool or darts for small wagers in the pub, all above board. Can you do that in the US? In Fairfax County, VA, police shot and killed a man who had organized a football pool. > **[“Why did you shoot me? I was reading a book": The new warrior cop is out of...](https://www.salon.com/2013/07/07/%E2%80%9Cwhy_did_you_shoot_me_i_was_reading_a_book_the_new_warrior_cop_is_out_of_control/)** > > SWAT teams raiding poker games and trying to stop underage drinking? Overwhelming paramilitary force is on the rise > [@](#): > > On the night of January 24, 2006, Baucum called Culosi and arranged a time to drop by to collect his winnings. When Culosi, barefoot and clad in a T-shirt and jeans, stepped out of his house to meet the man he thought was a friend, the SWAT team began to move in. Seconds later, Det. Deval Bullock, who had been on duty since 4:00 AM and hadn’t slept in seventeen hours, fired a bullet that pierced Culosi’s heart. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/32 "2014-03-14T02:52:52Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I don’t think gambling is as much a part of American culture as it is in the UK. There certainly are regions where it is very popular and friendly bets among friends are common, but your average soccer dad or mom is not going to go to (or even know where to find) a bookie to place illegal bets on games. This. There’s no US equivalent of TAB or Betfair. And nobody ever bets on say, the outcome of the next election. It took me a while when I kept hearing odds on the radio (Abbot over Gillard, at 2 to 1) to understand that the announcer wasn’t just being interesting, you could actually head out to the TAB and place a bet on it. It’s a much larger part of the Australian culture, which probably is an offshoot of the UK in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/33 "2014-03-14T10:44:04Z")
> [@Gleena](#): > > This. > > There’s no US equivalent of TAB or Betfair. And nobody ever bets on say, the outcome of the next election. It took me a while when I kept hearing odds on the radio (Abbot over Gillard, at 2 to 1) to understand that the announcer wasn’t just being interesting, you could actually head out to the TAB and place a bet on it. > > It’s a much larger part of the Australian culture, which probably is an offshoot of the UK in this regard. We need to defer to the Aussies in these matters. The union of booze and gambling in a single high st establishment is a level above where we are in the UK. They have much to teach us. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/34 "2014-03-14T13:03:28Z")
Just an anecdotal observation from someone who has been an American sports observer for a long time, I think some of you are underestimating the breadth and depth of the sports betting culture here. The snippet about New York OTBs closing was interesting but they might have mostly because horse racing is slowly dying out as a spectator/gambling sport. Walk into any sports book in Nevada this week or next and you’ll be hard pressed to find a seat. Those guys don’t go into hibernation for a year, either. Sports Illustrated did a series on sports betting in college a few years back and had a good time relating how soon they could walk onto just about any campus completely cold and find someone to take a bet on a football or basketball game. In my opinion, the neighborhood punt shop would do just fine here once the regulations were in place. Just like buying pot, consumers would always prefer to place their bets in a safe and regulated environment. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/35 "2014-03-15T02:53:17Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > We need to defer to the Aussies in these matters. The union of booze and gambling in a single high st establishment is a level above where we are in the UK. They have much to teach us. Yeah, betting in yer local is a recipe for a lots and lots of good decisions. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/36 "2014-03-15T03:19:58Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > We need to defer to the Aussies in these matters. The union of booze and gambling in a single high st establishment is a level above where we are in the UK. They have much to teach us. This. In the state of New South Wales, in particular, there is an astounding variety of legalised gambling, much of it taking place in establishments where alcohol is bought and consumed legally (hotels and licensed clubs). And, in spite of those legal forms, there is still some illegal gambling going on, much of which is ignored by the police, because it’s amateur stuff on a small scale. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/37 "2014-03-15T03:53:12Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Thanks for the responses - I didn’t realise gambling was legislated to that degree in the US. > The black market must be massive - assuming most people can access a bookie if they so wish. I wonder how it would equate, per-capita, to the legal gambling market in the UK or Australia. I live in Nevada and you can bet on sports in many of the casinos. That being said, I personally do not know anybody who does this. I am sure the commercial betting culture is much bigger in the UK than it is here. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577/38 "2014-03-15T04:06:53Z")
Wait a tick? There is a reason to go to a casino and gamble that **doesn’t** involve abusing the free booze privileges? :eek: One thing that gets people - in casinos and other select outside bars with machines at the bar, I can put in (usually) $10, bet $0.01 each time and play very slowly, and drink for free. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-bet-in-the-usa/683577.md?page=1)