Hundreds of thousands of people participate in illegal online gambling each year, which presents many challenges to federal law enforcement. Although it can be difficult to track down those perpetrating these crimes, federal agencies use a variety of tools and tactics to detect and investigate violations of federal online gambling laws. In recent years, these agencies have focused their efforts on sports betting and online gambling in an effort to combat this illegal activity.
The difficulty of enacting federal laws to protect consumers is further complicated by the massive size of the Internet. There are literally millions of smaller entities on the World Wide Web, which makes its jurisdiction highly complex. The United States government has no way of policing every single activity on the Internet, but a bill that bans online gambling would imply that banks and the U.S. government have the ability to monitor online gambling activities and thereby determine whether or not they are legal.
Some states have adopted their own laws regarding the gambling industry. For instance, in New York, internet gambling is not legal. The state has passed several acts to regulate this industry, including the Act of 12 May 2010, which legalized horse betting and some circle games on the Internet. Those who wish to conduct these types of activities must have a gaming operator licensed by the state in which they live and timesweb.
