Illegal betting in sports activities
It is estimated that only 1-3% of sports gambling activities are taken into account in the Nevada Sports books and the majority of the betting is definitely the illegal gambling in sports. The FBI estimated in 1998 that this illegal sports gambling was a business worth billions of dollars.
Illegal gambling in sports consists of different types of activities. Many of these illegal bets on various sporting events are put with sportsbooks or bookies. Internet gambling is an extremely popular means of gambling. Other sports activities are the ones that are illegal and associated with gambling such as dog fighting and cockfighting.
Illegal gambling in sports has been 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 also established organized bookmaking across the nation. Emphasis was on horse racing during those times. Nevada legalized casino betting in 1931 and here too organized crime controlled a significant portion of casino gambling business. Continental Wire Service and Trans America Wire were the two illegal wire services that were operated by mobsters.
In the 1950s the federal government came down hard on organized crime and forced the mobsters out from the casino industry in Nevada. They were then bought out 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 action of transmitting wagering and gambling information and details across state lines for either taking or placing bets is recognized as illegal. News details regarding point spreads could be reported just for entertainment and informational purposes but a majority of US newspapers still publish betting lines. This practice is defended by the Newspaper Association of America as “free speech” under the First Amendment in the Constitution, claiming that readers only want to learn or read about teams favored to be winners instead of for betting.
Other illegal gambling in sports involves animal fights that take place in America in spite of the unsavory reputation it has. These staged fights involve animals such as dogs that are trained and bred for this purpose and male chickens. This type of animal fighting is usually within the rural areas but city police reports on dog fighting and cockfighting have increased and also this sport has become the craze among gangs on the street. This kind of illegal sports betting activity is a great concern to the authorities because of the weapons and large 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’s advisable if the bettor learns all of the laws relating to sports gambling within his state or area prior to placing bets on a sporting event. Most states declare sports gambling as illegal in the US excluding Nevada, Montana and one or two additional states.