Online Gambling has been gaining popularity over the years. It provides gamblers with a convenient and hassle-free way to play their favorite games. These sites are open 24 hours a day and allow gamblers to play for as long as they want.

Although the laws governing online gambling are mostly state-based, there are federal regulations that can be used to protect gamblers. For example, UIGEA regulates commercial activities and includes factors to help weed out low-level cases.

The Department of Justice also conducted an extensive study of online gambling regulations. In 2002, it published Internet Gambling: An Overview of Issues.

It included a list of federal criminal statutes that are implicated by illegal gambling on the internet. Some of the most significant laws include: 31 U.S.C. 5362 (10)(A), which defines unlawful Internet gambling; 31 U.S.C. 5362 (2), which prohibits accepting financial instruments in connection with unlawful Internet bets; and 31 U.S.C. 5366(a), which prohibits unauthorized transportation of lottery tickets between states.

Several recent court decisions have outlined the various laws and regulations that have been enacted. These include United States v. Heacock, a case that involved bettors who were laid off as well as a few others, and United States v. Lee, which restricted proscriptions for gambling businesses.

There is also the CRS Report RS21984 describing the major gambling-related statutes. The text of these statutes is available in abridged form.

While a number of attacks have been made on the federal government’s statutory and constitutional authority to regulate gambling, the results have been mixed.