Illegal betting in sports
It’s estimated that only 1-3% of sports gambling activities are accounted for from 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 competitive sports are placed with sportsbooks or bookies. Internet gambling is a very popular method of gambling. Other sporting events are the ones that are illegal and linked to gambling like dog fighting and cockfighting.
Illegal gambling in sports continues to be associated with organized crime for a long time in America. In the 1920s and 1930s illegal sports gambling had been a business for gang mobsters and they also set up organized bookmaking around the nation. Emphasis was on horse racing at that time. Nevada legalized casino betting in 1931 and here too organized crime managed a major percentage 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 drove the mobsters out from the casino industry in Nevada. They were then bought out by corporations, and also the mob took over the illegal bookmaking business. The majority of illegal books provide bookies that are illegal ways of spreading risks on wagers.
The action 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 many US newspapers still release betting lines. This practice is defended by the Newspaper Association of America as “free speech” under the First Amendment of the Constitution, claiming that readers only want to learn or read about teams favored to be winners rather than 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 include animals like dogs that are trained and bred for this purpose and male chickens. This sort of animal fighting is usually in the rural areas but city police reports on dog fighting and cockfighting have increased and this sport has become the rage among gangs in the street. This kind of illegal sports betting activity is a great concern for the authorities because of the weapons and large quantities of hard cash present at the fights.
The matter of illegal gambling in sports is a question of grave concern. Minnesota laws make any sort of wager or bet illegal. It’s advisable if the gambler learns all the laws relating to sports gambling in his state or area before placing bets on a sporting event. Most states declare sports betting as illegal in the US except for Nevada, Montana and one or two other states.