Questions tagged [gambling]

For questions about the laws of gambling, taxes on gambling wins and other legal issues related to gambling.

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Legalization of parimutuel betting format

What's the legality around using a parimutuel betting format for events in general (i.e., outside of horse or greyhound racing)? I haven't seen any references where a parimutuel betting system is used ...
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1 vote
1 answer
77 views

What are the legal requirements of running a giveaway competition where people play for free

What are the legal requirements of running a giveaway competition where people play for free but will win something? Also is a competition like a singing/ talent competition where there are judges (...
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4 votes
0 answers
91 views

When does a videogame become a gacha game?

Recently I have been observing a lot of gaming companies pushing contents in their games that to my understanding should meet the definition of gacha. Yet, for some reason those games manage to avoid ...
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2 votes
2 answers
126 views

Is it legal to use a friend's online gambling account with their consent?

In the United States, assuming a friend creates an online gambling account legally, and gives you full consent to use the account, are there any potential legal ramifications? It will likely be ...
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1 vote
1 answer
75 views

Is it illegal for a company to own an overseas company that breaks the law?

I live in New Zealand. I have a company here in NZ which is the sole owner of an overseas company. The company overseas has activity that is legal in that country, but very illegal back here in NZ. ...
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1 vote
1 answer
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The Consumer Regulations 2013: limits of applications and 'gambling' (UK law)

The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 provides consumers and traders with a number of protections and requirements. Regarding limitations of what ...
1 vote
1 answer
49 views

Are raffle tickets sold by charitable organizations in Virginia required to have date, time of drawing printed on them

some raffle tickets have "drawing when all tickets are sold" printed on them. No time, date or place of drawing.
3 votes
2 answers
112 views

Legal difference between Binary Options regulated by CFTC and gambling regulated by U. S. member states

I have trouble to understand the exact (legal) difference between binary options and gambling. Binary options are regulated in the United States by the CFTC and gambling is regulated by each U.S. ...
0 votes
1 answer
220 views

What's the difference between 'gambling' at an arcade or a carnival and gambling at a casino?

I've seen this asked a million times on quora and reddit, but the answers don't seem so good. As for (law) stackexchange, it seems this has been asked only once in a case where apparently you can't ...
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17 votes
2 answers
4k views

Would Georgie’s “Teddy Bear Casino” from Young Sheldon actually be legal?

On the TV series Young Sheldon, Connie secretly runs an illegal casino (slot machines and card games where you can earn cash), which is shut down by the police. Connie’s grandson Georgie thinks she ...
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0 votes
1 answer
118 views

Would a free lottery app be legal in the US and most countries?

Suppose that a developer builds an application that Is similar to a lottery app, the only difference is that a user will gain a ticket for watching ads (E.G videos, banners) and it will give the ...
1 vote
1 answer
77 views

Earthquake prediction markets

Earthquake insurance has many challenges. Some people (or companies) may prefer a simple payout if an earthquake of magnitude Q within R geodesic miles of point S is published on USGS by date T. ...
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Would it be legal for a minor to participate in social gambling?

Someone is holding a poker game, would it be legal for a minor to participate? This is in Texas.
-1 votes
1 answer
109 views

Is it legal for two individuals in California, United States to place a bet between themselves?

Alice wants to make a bet with Bob (e.g., betting 100 USD that tomorrow there will be no snow falling in a given location, or that some new phone to be announced tomorrow will cost less than 1k USD). ...
3 votes
0 answers
109 views

Facebook Raffle won by organiser's spouse

I recently joined a UK based Facebook group which the owner/admin uses to run raffles to raise money for a youth football team. I believe this doesn't require a licence as it is to raise funds for a ...
0 votes
0 answers
24 views

Can washington residents play online poker fundraiser?

Can a Washington State resident play poker online for a fund-raiser that's hosted by an organization outside of the state of Washington?
2 votes
1 answer
121 views

Is it illegal to have an app that allows 2 friends to “bet” on a sporting event if money is not involved?

Would it be legal in the US to have an app that allows 2 friends to “bet” on a sporting event if there is no exchange of money? Instead, the users would simply accumulate points if they win the bet? ...
-3 votes
1 answer
225 views

What happens to people that gamble in Arizona when they're not old enough?

I was gambling in Arizona 2013 and was looking for a goal of $1,000. It wasn't a scam. I was 10 years old at the time. We got only got $300. Both and my Dad were doing the gambling and we each took ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
4k views

Is it illegal for a police officer to buy lottery tickets?

I work retail and one of my jobs includes upselling lottery tickets. I was told by a police officer (clearly on duty & uniformed) that it was illegal for them to buy one while on duty as it is ...
1 vote
1 answer
214 views

Can one "donate" to enter a prize draw?

If someone incites donations by including donors into a prize draw, is it still donation? Or is it contract? Gambling maybe? Passport: Back to Our Roots is doing that: "Everyone who donates will ...
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2 votes
1 answer
135 views

Tournament vs gambling

In law, would this be considered as gambling - an investment tournament where people pay an entree fee and then pick a portfolio of 3 stocks. After some period the top 3 portfolios share the pot of ...
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-4 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is this obvious gambling legal?

https://www.omaze.com/products/tesla-model-y-kimbal-musk It basically is a lottery. Instead of buying lottery tickets, you "donate" and have a chance to win Tesla. Is it even legal in US? Is ...
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1 vote
0 answers
79 views

Is it legal in USA (FL) to organise tournaments (any sport) among friends, each player putting some money, with 100% going to the winners as a prize?

Is it legal in USA to organize no-profit tournaments (any sport) among friends, with each player putting some money to play, and 100% of the total pot goes to the winner (and possibly second/third ...
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0 votes
1 answer
38 views

Is using web platform currency considered gambling? [closed]

Working on a web startup in which users receive platform currency by watching content. Later they can bid on spots in the site to post their own content, but only one out of all bidders gets the spot. ...
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2 votes
0 answers
46 views

Does the CFTC have authority over all forms of "prediction markets"?

I've been reading over previous cases that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have brought up against organizations like InTrade. From what I can tell, InTrade was brought under scrutiny ...
1 vote
1 answer
359 views

Is Rock Paper Scissors considered gambling?

Consider I run a rock paper scissors matches online, where users buy in and cash out money if they win. Would this be legal in the United States? It is somewhat similar to esports tournaments, where ...
1 vote
2 answers
122 views

Is it legal for me to prototype simulated gambling software in England?

I am a programmer in England, and am potentially interested in one day working to open a licensed online casino. I have several ideas about products I would like to work on, but am a bit confused as ...
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-3 votes
1 answer
226 views

Google Play - How can an app be gambling app if there is no real money involved?

Google play removed my app citing the claim that it's a gambling app. In my app players don't have to use real money to play and win prizes. How can it be gambling if there is no real money is ...
-2 votes
1 answer
263 views

Would an online cryptocurrency lottery run by a UK business be constrained to lottery gambling laws in the United Kingdom?

The example UK business wants to run a weekly cryptocurrency lottery, in which cryptocurrency is initially exchanged for tickets, and the prize is cryptocurrency. Participants would not purchase the ...
-1 votes
2 answers
1k views

Are skill game tournaments gambling?

We consider whether a skill-based online multiplayer game with some entry fees to a tournament and prizes for winner and sub-winners (consists of entry fees) is in US and EU law classified as a ...
-1 votes
1 answer
79 views

What qualifies as "wagering" or "gambling" and what are ways to avoid falling under that category? [closed]

You see, as naive as it sounds, I'm looking into starting an online casino (of sorts). I have no intention of presenting real-world cashout ability, thus as I would like to believe would make it not ...
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is selling an online poker assistance software that is prohibited by poker sites legal?

I own a small tech firm and we have been approached by a team of professional online poker players. They want us to build a real time assistance software that helps them play poker. It works by ...
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Playing cards, other than for stakes, in licensed premises (UK)

You hear a great deal of rumour and out-of-date information about the legality of playing cards in pubs. If I play cribbage or dominoes with my son, who's under 18, in a pub but with no money or ...
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0 votes
0 answers
188 views

Slot Machine Uses Fake Money Still Illegal?

So I have a friend who wants to build a slot-machine or similar device for an event operating in Connecticut. According to them it will only be operable with a certain type of fake currency (like ...
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2 votes
1 answer
272 views

Bet on behalf of someone living in a country where betting is illegal

Let's say I have a friend living in a country like Albania where sports betting is illegal. I tell him he can send me money and I will bet for him in my country (for example Italy), where betting is ...
2 votes
1 answer
667 views

Can I get sued for using a betting bot?

I have created a bot for roulette that makes a bet on a certain condition. In their terms of service, the casino — PokerStars Casino — says that any use of bots is prohibited. I understand that I ...
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1 vote
0 answers
55 views

Would gambling money on odds of winnig a video game be legal in the United States?

I believe I read before that the US only constituted a situation as 'gambling' if there was luck based, which is to say that if there was a sufficient degree of skill involved then something was not ...
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0 votes
3 answers
154 views

Awarding the Top Players of a Video Game

Hopefully someone on here can help settle an ongoing debate I've been having with a colleague. We've been discussing different techniques which could be used to entice players of our games to continue ...
1 vote
1 answer
223 views

What constitutes a gambling app

I am developing a game that has users playing live quizzes against each other for cash prizes. You can book to play a live quiz for a small fee. You have a chance of winning a cash prize if you ...
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2 votes
2 answers
93 views

How Google Play Policy applies to different Developers

I have a quiz game that was rejected from the Play Store on claims that it violates the Gambling policy because it currently allows users to win money for playing quizzes. On appealing, I asked the ...
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4 votes
1 answer
302 views

Would Poker (with *Zero* real-world currency involved) in an M-Rated (18+) Online game be constituted Online Gambling?

Players of Red Dead Redemption 2: Online (RDO from now on) have been requesting that Poker or other gambling activities be added to the game. These were expected to be included, as they are present ...
2 votes
2 answers
825 views

Trading card booster packs, loot boxes, the lottery, and your interpretation

I'm a prospective law student currently conducting research on the legality of loot boxes in the United States, and I find Magic the Gathering very relevant. (Reference for Loot Boxes and Booster ...
0 votes
0 answers
42 views

Is it legal for a spouse to gamble against each other at home in the US?

Is it legal for a spouse to gamble against each other at home in the US, with no third-party involved?
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1 vote
0 answers
63 views

Verifying the law around hosting an online crypto casino in the US

Can a site operator, resident in the USA in a state that doesn't allow online gambling, legally run an online casino site, provided that the site Terms And Services document states: it is ...
1 vote
2 answers
134 views

Why do websites which "store" money not show the actual currency, but as tokens/credits etc.?

I've seen some sites which you give money to (like pokerstars, bet365) but unlike those sites, they display the money as Tokens/Credits. One such site is woduels, their currency is WD tokens. Is ...
2 votes
2 answers
776 views

Making games with multi-level marketing in game

I have a plan to create an online game with multi-level marketing. Is it legal to create a game which costs money to buy, and then reward them with more money than they used to buy the game if three ...
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0 votes
2 answers
131 views

Can tribal nations initiate gambling between states or are they subject to the same rules as everyone else?

As I understand it, gambling in the U.S. is only illegal if it takes place between states. However, the large, Native American owned casinos permitted by states through due to the 1987 ruling of ...
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0 votes
1 answer
224 views

If I pay someone to place a sports bet that wins, have I committed money laundering?

It is my understanding if a private individual sells a chip that is money laundering. Say I pay someone $100 to place a $10000 sports bet that wins. If it wins, I cash the ticket. Have I committed ...
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2 votes
1 answer
90 views

Could United's upgrade policy be legally interpreted as gambling?

United provides Global Premier Upgrades (GPU) to frequent fliers that can be used to upgrade one leg of a flight by one class, e.g., economy to business. However, for international flights, the ...
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2 votes
1 answer
112 views

Using trademarked names as a reference in a commercial context

Is it possible to use a trademarked name as some sort of a reference for public available data (even when used in a commercial context)? Non-Commercial example: Let's say we have an app that displays ...
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