Illegal gambling in sports activities
It is estimated that only 1-3% of sports betting activities are accounted for in the Nevada Sports books and the majority of the gambling is definitely the illegal gambling in sports. The FBI believed in 1998 this illegal sports gambling was a business worth billions of dollars.
Illegal gambling in sports consists of various kinds of activities. Most of these illegal bets on various competitive sports are put with sportsbooks or bookies. Online gambling is a very popular method of gambling. Other sports activities are those that happen to be illegal and associated with gambling such as dog fighting and cockfighting.
Illegal gambling in sports continues to be associated with organized crime for a long time in the US. In the 1920s and 1930s illegal sports gambling was a business for gang mobsters and they set up organized bookmaking around the nation. Emphasis was on horse racing during those times. Nevada legalized casino betting in 1931 and here too organized crime managed a major portion of casino gambling business. Continental Wire Service and Trans America Wire were the 2 main illegal wire services that were operated by mobsters.
In the 1950s the government came down hard on organized crime and forced the mobsters out from the casino industry in Nevada. These were then taken over by corporations, and the mob took over the illegal bookmaking business. Most illegal books provide bookies that are illegal methods for spreading risks on wagers.
The act of transmitting wagering and gambling information and details across state lines for either taking or placing bets is considered illegal. News details regarding point spreads could be reported only for entertainment and informational purposes but a majority of US newspapers still release betting lines. This practice is defended by way of the Newspaper Association of America as “free speech” under the First Amendment of the Constitution, proclaiming that readers only want to learn or find out about teams favored to become winners rather than for betting.
Other illegal gambling in sports involves animal fights that take place in the US in spite of the unsavory reputation it has. These staged fights involve animals such as dogs that are trained and bred for this specific purpose and male chickens. This type of animal fighting is normally within the rural areas but city police reports on dog fighting and cockfighting have increased and also this sport is the rage among gangs in the street. This kind of illegal sports betting activity is a great concern to the authorities because of the weapons and huge amounts of hard cash present in the fights.
The matter of illegal gambling in sports is a question of grave concern. Minnesota laws make any type of wager or bet illegal. It is best if the gambler finds out all the laws associated with sports gambling within his state or area before placing bets over a sporting event. Many states declare sports betting as illegal in the United States excluding Nevada, Montana and one or two other states.
