Many Indiana residents have in interest in gambling online. That’s not really the question. The question is generally the first one off everyone’s lips once the topic of online gambling is brought up, and it’s this: “Is Online Gambling Legal in Indiana?” Most residents who have made it to this page will already know the federal stance on online gambling concisely, and it’s this. It’s legal to participate, but illegal to operate online gambling.
Players can easily work around these laws, and most US citizens can enjoy online gambling legally, but each resident is also held to one of 50 states of unique state laws. All of them are different, and all have intricacies. This page is dedicated to helping Indiana residents navigate the complex legal landscape revolving around online gambling in their home state as well as helping them to find the best venues to take part in it.
Of all the forms of gambling, sports betting is the most regulated by the federal government, generally meaning that state have to do very little to prohibit its facilitation. As far back as 1961, the federal government passed the Wire Act in an effort to combat organized crime. This made it a criminal offense to transfer information related to sports betting across state or country borders. In 1992, Congress took this a step further by passing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) that stated it was a crime to facilitate sports betting in any fashion except for in the states of Delaware, Oregon, Montana and Nevada. Just like the UIGEA, while these laws cracked down on the facilitation of sports betting, they did nothing to restrict legal gambling in Indiana and resident’s right to participate in sports betting.
The state of Indiana once again falls in step with the federal government on this subject. While it indeed is a serious crime to use the internet to set up, operate or maintain a sports betting site within the United States, the mere use of such a site is not a crime. For this reason, and for the fact that there is no sanctioned land based sports betting in the state, legal online sportsbooks are incredibly popular in the state of Indiana. Just so long as the sportsbook is located offshore and safely outside of Indiana and US jurisdiction, the sports betting site runs no risk of conflicting with law enforcement agencies.
In 2006, the federal government took action on something it realized long ago. If they were going to maintain any real efforts at regulating gambling, the modern age of the internet has to be taken into account. Before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 went into effect, there were no federal laws governing internet gambling. Once it was passed, internet-gambling operators were forced to move out of the country or face an imminent shut down. However, the law clearly stated that players are unaffected by the policy. This means that, just as with most anti-gambling policies, the target is large organized crime syndicates, and not individuals.
The state of Indiana is a little wordier on the topic of online casino games, but they get at the same thing. Just so long as online casinos that accept Indiana residents are located outside the United States, the law cannot take any umbrage with them. Identical to federal law, there are no policies against players making use of online casinos. In fact, in all of the passages in Indiana legislation that affects online gambling only comment on its facilitation, never the participation in it.
This means that when it comes to gambling in the state of Indiana, it’s legal to participate whether a player is using the internet or and of the sanctioned riverboat casinos in the state. This may paint a picture contrary to public opinion, but this is what a careful reading of the state constitution will reveal every time
Poker is by far the most popular means of gambling in the country, and while there may be an exception that proves the rule somewhere out there, it most certainly is not the state of Indiana. In fact, lawmakers reacted to the popularity of online poker in a most severe way. Although the UIGEA Congress did not pass to “protect” anyone other than large interest groups from online poker, they did intend to attack the industry nonetheless. Upon the passage of this bill, all US based online poker sites were ordered to shut down or get out of the country. Regardless, offshore poker sites still function and players from Indiana may take advantage of them legally seeing as how the UIGEA does not attack players, only operators of online poker.
State policy in Indiana functions similarly to federal law. Although it’s a serious crime in the state to operate illicit poker, online or on land, there are no laws in the state’s legislation to prohibit players from participating in it. This means that whether an Indiana resident is a member of a legal online poker room that accepts Indiana players or if they are utilizing any of the state’s sanctioned riverboat poker rooms, they are free from the risk of legal prosecution. This is great news indeed for poker fans in the state of Indiana.
While it is illegal for anyone in Indiana to operate a gambling website, several offshore gambling sites accept Indiana players. Since federal and state laws do not influence players in any way, they are free to sign up with these sites that are well outside of both Indiana and Federal jurisdiction. This eliminates the possibility of the US government shutting them down, and makes them safer investments than any illicit gambling operations. What’s more, since the best Indiana gambling networks operate legally, they have access to top of the line security software, and can effectively protect their members’ identity as well as their money. In over 20 years of operation, there are no records of a hacker accessing information on an offshore gambling site. How many US based companies can say that?
When it comes time to pick out the gambling site that works best for you, you have an important decision to make. You must decide whether you prefer the world’s most powerful online casino, the most complete and diverse sportsbook, or one of the premiere online poker rooms anywhere in the world. On the other hand, you can just sign up with Bovada and make sure you have access to all three. No matter your preferred form of gambling, this top-notch gambling network in the heart of Canada has you covered.
Best of all for new and old members is that they may take their account anywhere. Thanks to the best mobile app in the business, if a player wants to access casino games or et on sports from anywhere in the world, they may do so just as long as they have their phone handy. Poker fans get the truly great end of this deal, as Bovada is home to the only mobile poker app available for Indiana residents. Now you can connect to the bustling tables in Bovada’s poker room no matter where you are. With this legal Indiana gambling site, your front pocket can make you money!