Illegal Internet Gambling

Online Gambling

Using the Internet for illegal toto hk gambling is a violation of seven federal criminal statutes. These statutes are the Wire Act, the Interstate Commerce Act, the Travel Act, the Gambling Devices Transportation Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The Travel Act, or TCA, is a federal statute that prohibits illegal gambling and facilitation of illegal gambling in interstate or foreign commerce. The Travel Act also prohibits promotion of illegal gambling and money laundering. The Travel Act’s jurisdiction can be established based on an interstate or foreign nexus, a shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, or a debt resulting from gambling.

The Travel Act’s jurisdiction can also be determined by reference to the telecommunications component of the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission has the power to shut down facilities and stop providing services if they are found to be involved in unlawful gambling. The federal government has warned PayPal that it could be sued for illegal Internet gambling.

The Illegal Gambling Business Act (IGBA), enacted in 1992, makes it a criminal offense to operate an illegal gambling business. Illegal gambling business owners are fined and imprisoned for up to five years. The Act also prohibits the acceptance of payments for illegal Internet gambling.

There are many other federal criminal statutes that are implicated by illegal Internet gambling. The Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organizations Act (RICO) prohibits gambling business activities, and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Amendment (UIGEA) prohibits accepting financial instruments from illegal Internet bets.