Anyone who has gambled before regardless of the capacity and the nature of the incident(s) has likely wondered about the gambling laws here in the United States before.  Wondering about the gambling laws in place by our government does not mean that you are breaking any, that have you have broken any, or that you are going to break any; it means that you are aiming to be intelligent about what you participating in, as part of an effort to do so responsibly.  Regardless of the explanation provided here, you should not replace legal advice from an expert with this information.  If you need legal assistance regarding gambling issues, please seek the appropriate lawyer, and use this for informational or educational purposes only!

Remember that legislation is in place on a Federal, State, and Local level; and can vary greatly from one place to another, so even though the Federal regulations will stay the same unless you leave the country; you should always pay close attention to the regulations in place by the particular establishment where you are currently playing.  The legislation regulates several facets of gambling such as what betting is allowed (card games, etc), how much betting is allowed, where betting may take place, and even practices for claiming your winnings (how to claim, paying income tax, etc.)

We are going to take a look federal law governing online casinos and gambling; and because of the complexity of the issue, this is why attorney advice is suggested.

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act

Without getting too technical, this is an addition to the section of code that prohibits the funding of unlawful internet gambling, and was passed in October 2006. It affects the online casino operators because they are the ones accepting the funds from the bets, rather than a player who places the bet.  Because both states where the betting is taking place has to allow for internet gambling for it to be legal on the federal level and there is little legislation on the state level regarding online betting (no state expressively permits it, few expressively ban it, and the remaining states have no law governing it); it remains that all existing online casinos are in violation of current law.  Much of it is unclear as this is technically the first piece of legislation in regards to online gambling; and this is the primary reason for confusion on the subject.