It is estimated that only 1-3% of sports betting activities are accounted for in the Nevada Sports books and the majority of the betting is the illegal gambling in sports. The FBI estimated in 1998 this illegal sports gambling was an industry worth billions of dollars.
Illegal gambling in sports consists of various kinds of activities. Most of these illegal bets on various sporting events are placed with sportsbooks or bookies. Online gambling is an extremely popular method of gambling. Other sports activities are the ones that happen to be illegal and associated with gambling such as dog fighting and cockfighting.
Illegal gambling in sports continues to be connected with organized crime for many years in the US. In the 1920s and 1930s illegal sports gambling was a business for gang mobsters and they 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 managed a major portion of casino gambling business. Continental Wire Service and Trans America Wire were the two illegal wire services which 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. Most illegal books provide bookies which are illegal ways of 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 may 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 of the Constitution, claiming that readers only want to learn or find out about teams favored to be winners rather than for betting.
Other illegal gambling in sports involves animal fights that occur in the US regardless 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 sort of animal fighting is normally in the rural areas but city police reports on dog fighting and cockfighting have risen 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 huge amounts of hard cash present at the fights.
The matter of illegal gambling in sports is really a matter of grave concern. Minnesota laws make any type of wager or bet illegal. It’s advisable if the gambler finds out all the laws relating to sports gambling within his state or area prior to placing bets on a sporting event. Many states declare sports gambling as illegal in the United States excluding Nevada, Montana and one or two other states.