I’ve heard people talk about doing football or Survivor pools online and was wondering, logistics concerns aside, is this even legal?
IANAL but …
In most of the U.S. this would be illegal if people are betting against one another. If there is no exchange of money, of course, it is perfectly legal. If a company offers a monetary prize for the person who peforms the best in a pool AND there is no cost to enter AND there is no purchase required AND the person entering is over 21 (18?) then it is legal.
Haj
No, this is not legal.
If you are paying for a chance to win something and winning is a random event, then this is a form of gambling, which is illegal. The legal types of gambling which are prevalent (casinos, horse races, and state lotteries) only exist because a special law is passed which allows them to operate.
For instance, in Nevada, it is perfectly legal to gamble in a casino, but Neveda does not have a state lottery because it is illegal. No law was passed allowing the state to have one, so to this day, they still don’t have one.
Oh, it dawned on me you mentioned that this was online. So maybe this gambling is actually facilitated offshore to avoid U.S. law. However, most U.S. laws still apply in this matter. A number of acts are being violated regardless of where the gambling is being facilitated.
Isn’t the deal on online gambling is that it’s illegal because it utilizes interstate phone lines to transmit bets? I realize that’s a simplification, but the reports I’ve seen speak of using various telecommunications laws to block U.S.-based gamblers.
Yes, Otto.
The Federal Wire Act is one of them (link). Another is the Travel Act (link). I’m sure there are more.
So how has http://www.stiffs.com been running for so long without getting shut down?
Yabob, it boils down to a matter of priority. The district attorney priortizes crimes by severity. Obviously, murders and rapes would be at the top of pile.
The football pool you might have going at work, or the penny poker game that is being played at the local retirement home would be slid under the pile.
Can you imagine the newspaper headlines? “D.A. cracks down on poker games at retirement home.” Then, you turn the page to find, “Serial rapist brutally rapes 6 more women.”
If the D.A. wants to keep his job, and ultimately get re-elected, he’ll do what is in the best interest of the public.