Betting at offshore sites—you know, like trying to send money from the US to an overseas bookie—is actually illegal under American gambling laws. I think the fines for regular people can go all the way up from $10,000 to $50 $0.00 ☕
Paul Garcia10 said:And you’re probably using a foreign currency account in the US or just a credit card to fund your PayPal... I’m no expert, but watch out, it might be a slippery slope. I actually heard about a case where the IRS froze everything a woman had earned from DraftKings when she tried to withdraw it to her bank account.
...yeah, and I actually dug a bit deeper on some forums—apparently, she was using her debit card for everything and then tried to pull about 100 $0.00 back through that same card, so there was no PayPal or Venmo involved at all...
James Taylor3 says As long as nobody asks me, I couldn't care less about the rules.
Look, online betting here has worked just fine for years—nobody ever brings up issues with moving money around, so I guess I don't get why you keep harping on it.
I'm not harping on anything—it's just how the US gambling laws could be interpreted, maybe.
Sorry, this is totally off-topic—but I’m super new here! Does anyone mind helping me out? How do I actually do the whole quoting thing so I can reply to people properly? It would make chatting way easier, I guess!
...I don't see anything in the US gaming laws that actually bans betting on foreign online sites, it's more like you're only in hot water if you're paying from within the States.
Even if you tried to withdraw, I guess you might run into trouble if you used a US account—they'd probably just seize the funds and maybe even hit you with a fine up to 50 $0.00.
But I'm really curious—what happens if someone uses an overseas bank account instead?
...so in that case, if it's coming from a freeroll, maybe things stay chill—assuming they haven't deposited anything from America or anywhere else, I guess?
...like, if Chase calls you up to prove where your cash came from—or even if the IRS starts asking questions—what happens if you just tell them the truth? Like, if you say you got it from an overseas online sportsbook via a sign-on bonus, since there were actually zero deposits involved??
If it were illegal to gamble at foreign online sites—like how they do things in Turkey or France—then those bookies wouldn't even let people from the US sign up.
The US gambling laws
2. participating in foreign gambling activities wherethe bets are being placed within the United States,
3. collecting wagers within the United States for participation in gambling games held abroad,
basically, betting on foreign online sites is only against the rules if you're actually placing a bet from the US but if you just snag a bonus without putting any cash down, then it's totally fine—since technically, just using foreign online gambling sites isn't prohibited as long as you aren't wagering.
Bryan Adams6 says every bookie has their own little rules when it comes to bonuses—if it's a no deposit bonus, then it's usually smooth sailing... but if you actually have to deposit something first... man, you aren't seeing a dime until every single condition is met
I totally get that, but I wasn't really asking about how some random overseas sportsbook operates—I was wondering if you snagged a no deposit bonus and somehow crushed it for $2,000 after hitting all the requirements, and then moved that cash via Skrill to your bank (either here in the States or abroad), or just sent it straight to your account... wouldn't there be zero issues if your bank called to ask where the money came from? Like, if you just tell them the truth—that you won it from an online sportsbook without ever having to deposit a cent from anywhere in the US , or even using a local bank account?
Because, as far as I know, under US gaming laws there isn't anything written anywhere that says betting on foreign online sites is illegal—it's more like if you were actually processing payments or taking wagers for those offshore sites from within the US, then you'd be stuck in that legal gray area
So, I was wondering—just asking a hypothetical question here—
If you sign up for some random online sportsbook and snag a bonus, but don't actually deposit anything, and somehow end up with a bigger amount through some miracle, would there be any issues getting that cash out? (Like, maybe hitting PayPal first, then moving it to a bank account)
Since you didn't deposit from the US or use any specific account, but you still managed to score that bonus
I was wondering—since we're in the US now—are those offshore betting sites still considered "gray area" stuff?
Has anyone actually been hit with a fine (you know, that massive one up to 50 $0.00)? Like, specifically for withdrawing money from an overseas bookie?
How much can you really pull out before you end up on the IRS radar or get a weird call from your bank?
Say you withdrew $333—would that even be an issue? 🙂