Currently, about half of all the online gambling activities in the United States are illegal. These activities include casino games, sports betting, virtual poker, betting on horse racing, lotteries and telecommunications services.
Illegal online gambling is a federal crime. The US Attorney General has issued a rule prohibiting financial institutions from accepting financial instruments from Internet bets. The statute has been challenged on constitutional grounds. Its enforcement has been challenged on due process and free speech grounds.
In addition, the Commerce Clause raises questions about the legislative power to regulate gambling. The First Amendment has also been challenged. In the past, these attacks have failed. The Commerce Clause, however, may help to satisfy doubts about the legislative power.
In 2002, the General Accounting Office published an overview of the issues relating to Internet gambling. The United States is not the only country to regulate gambling. Countries in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and North America have adopted online gambling laws.
The latest survey by the Gambling Commission found that in 2020, the most popular means of accessing online gambling will be mobile phones. This is because smartphones have increased in popularity. In fact, mobile users make up 80% of all online gambling users in most countries.
Internet gambling sites have been reported to be used by teens. In one survey, over 530,000 high school-aged male students visited gambling sites on a monthly basis. This amount is relatively small when compared to the number of college-age students who use gambling sites.