Mark Lewis
Editor
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Last Updated on 25/09/2022
Fact checked by: Josh Schwartz
Table of Content
- What are offshore gambling sites?
- A brief summary of the United States gambling laws
- Are offshore gambling sites legal?
- Legal betting sites in the USA
- Important facts about offshore gambling
- Five reasons to avoid offshore gambling sites
- The best alternatives to offshore gambling sites
- Conclusion: There’s no need to look elsewhere for the best betting
- Enjoy these great betting bonuses
- Best Offshore Gambling Sites FAQ
What are offshore gambling sites?
What offshore internet gambling means – regardless of the ‘is offshore gambling legal?’ question – remains the same. And it’s almost exactly what it sounds like: an offshore betting site is one that is not covered by the legal authorities in the United States. In other words, it actually has nothing to do with location – although they would almost certainly be situated outside of the United States. Rather, it has to do with how betting sites in the United States are licensed.
Important to note too is that this is the case whether we’re talking about offshore casinos or offshore betting in general. Your best offshore gambling sites could, theoretically, be a sports betting sites casino betting operator, bingo site, or some kind of jack-of-all-trades offering, as far as the logistics of what is considered offshore betting.
Because what an offshore operator is depends on how licensing works in the United States, we thought it would provide vital context to discuss the law in the country in brief. We’ll then move specifically onto the law surrounding your best offshore gambling sites – if indeed, any operator could be considered to be anything other than a complete recommendation to avoid.
A brief summary of the United States gambling laws
Put simply, in the United States, the law surrounding online gambling – and gambling in general – goes on a state-by-state basis. That’s why the best online gambling sites for one part of the country may be completely different from another, and in many areas, is illegal entirely.
Areas where betting is legal includes the likes of Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. An example of a relevant licensing body would be the New Jersey Division of Gambling. Do keep in mind though that each state has a different governing body which handles gambling in that jurisdiction.
Indeed, the question of ‘is offshore gambling illegal?’, and whether it’s possible for us to recommend any of the best offshore gambling sites, would come down to these types of governing bodies, and their acceptance of outside regulation. Regardless of these legal complexities though, what constitutes an offshore gambling operator remains the same.
What offshore online gambling sites are isn’t actually dictated by their location, although your assumptions about their location being abroad would likely be correct. They’re instead dictated by their place outside the jurisdiction of those traditional licensing and governmental bodies. That said, we would expect to see a totally unregulated site in the United States to be more commonly referred to as an illegal operator rather than an offshore betting site.
Are offshore gambling sites legal?
Of course, none of this context actually answers the question of whether or not even the best offshore gambling sites are legal. Or is offshore gambling illegal?
Well, as you may have guessed considering what we’ve discussed about the restrictive gambling laws in the US, it’s not legal. To be absolutely clear, they are not legal under any circumstance at the time of writing. It does not vary on a state-by-state basis. There are no exceptions for any particular offshore betting site.
Some countries do make allowances for licensing from elsewhere, usually as long as they pass through some kind of scrutiny or legal framework. This is not true of the United States, though. In order for a site to be legal, it must be licensed through an authority of an American state. Thus, all offshore examples are, by definition, illegal.
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Important facts about offshore gambling
To bring together our discussion here with what we were talking about before – and make absolutely clear the illegal status of any offshore gambling sites – here’s a breakdown of the two key takeaways to bear in mind:
First is that an offshore betting site is any site which is not overseen by a relevant governing body. The relevant governing body varies by state. However, for a site to be considered to be offshore, it wouldn’t be available in any part of the United States. That means a site available in Pennsylvania but not New Jersey would simply be a site restricted in that state, rather than being an offshore betting site.
Confusingly, offshore betting has little to do with location. It’s more that being housed overseas is simply a very common trait amongst those considered the best offshore betting sites. If a site is not overseen by any American gambling governing body in any state – which would make them commonly known as an offshore betting site – they’re not legal in any form in the country. The difference between the legality of something like the Betway casino USA, for instance, entirely depends on their licensing and whether they’re covered by any relevant and credible authority.
Now we hope we’ve made the legality of even the best offshore gambling sites absolutely clear, we would like to do the same thing for our position on them. In fact, we wouldn’t consider any example of offshore internet gambling to be considered amongst your best options. While we suppose that logically, some would have worse practices than others – and that would, in theory, make some better than others – we don’t want to give the impression that we think any are worthy of your attention.
The bottom line is that if a site is illegal – which is undoubtedly the case with offshore USA examples – then they cannot be considered safe to use. Of course, any illegal and unsafe betting site will never get a recommendation from us, regardless of whether they’re considered among the best offshore gambling sites.
Five reasons to avoid offshore gambling sites
Is offshore gambling illegal? Yes. Do we ever recommend offshore online gambling sites? No. These answers may be straightforward, but as we’ve seen when discussing the legal situation in the United States, the reason behind them often has greater depths than you would likely imagine. This is also the case on the latter point. It’s not as simple as saying that no, we don’t recognise any of those considered the best offshore betting sites to be worthy of a recommendation.
In order to make our reasoning crystal clear, we’ve decided to break down five key reasons why offshore internet gambling is simply, in our opinion, not worth your time.
The best alternatives to offshore gambling sites
Of course, it’s far easier to imagine the many amazing betting sites that are out there when you have a couple of examples to help you get started. We’ve decided to select a delightful trio of delicious betting options for you to sink your teeth into, so you can get an idea of the sheer quality of options available to you. Keep in mind these are in no particular order.
Borgata
One of the first and best online sportsbooks to throw open those virtual doors to the people of New Jersey, Borgata still remains up there with the absolute best. It was an immediate smash hit, with an incredible selection of sports markets and a focus on the customer experience that is tough to beat. This includes great promotions, a fantastically easy to use design – whether you’re on desktop or mobile – and world-class customer support. The focus on American sports too makes this an ideal pick for those whose sporting interests lie at home.
William Hill
If Borgata isn’t quite international enough for you, then William Hill should make up for it. A global juggernaut, William Hill has spent the last few years not just being an option for American players looking to get in on some European action, but arguably the finest option for those with sporting tastes which cross continents. They’re another reason to pay no mind to the best offshore gambling sites.
BetMGM
When we talked about there being better options than any of the best offshore gambling sites, we can’t think of a better example than this. First off, there’s little confusion as to whether this operator is available legally in the US, considering it’s known for the epic MGM Grand in Las Vegas. What’s truly astounding though is that they bring that prestige to the screen, with an incredible betting experience which even translates to mobile. They're an American classic. Who needs the best offshore gambling sites?
Conclusion: There’s no need to look elsewhere for the best betting
The legalities of betting in the United States may seem complicated, but what they mean for you doesn’t have to be – particularly regarding the best offshore gambling sites. Put simply, if a site is offshore, that means it’s not under the authority of any legitimate or recognised US authority and is thus illegal to bet with.
This means that even the best offshore gambling sites are unsafe to bet with and there could be real financial consequences if you do. Instead, you can bet with any one – or more – of the amazing betting sites legally available to US players should you be in a state where that is permitted. And of course, we can help find one that is perfect for you, so be sure to check out our many other articles and reviews.
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