Chris Nguyen31 said:I don't see anything wrong with making money through foreign bookmakers. Even if I'm not paying a specific tax on those winnings, we all benefit from it here in the States.
1. My family and I benefit because we live reasonably well. Otherwise, I’d likely be out of work and probably just another statistic in the welfare system. 2. The American economy and local manufacturers benefit because I spend my money on their goods, which helps keep them afloat. 3. The government benefits because they collect sales tax on every single thing I buy. ...and so on. Wouldn't it be absurd to penalize me for that?
It’s incredibly foolish, really. Honestly, I suspect it would even hold up at a human rights court in Strasbourg. Look, I’m no lawyer—not even close—but the principle of equality is a fundamental pillar of European Union law. If someone can legally place an online bet in Austria, then we should be allowed to do the exact same thing here in the US...
Eric Fox7 said:Another point—and this is exactly why we’re stuck in this gray area—is that you aren't depositing directly into their accounts. Instead, you're using third-party processors like Venmo or similar services.
So, if I'm following this logic, depositing into an offshore sportsbook becomes illegal the moment you use a standard debit card, but suddenly everything stays murky and legally ambiguous if you funnel it through Venmo or some other middleman service?
Christian Hernandez11 said:It’s just their internal form for when you make that first card deposit over at Pinnacle. You download it, fill it out, scan it, and send it off.
Eric Fox7 said:It’s perfectly legal as long as you aren't placing bets from within America.🙂
I don't see what difference that makes when the federal law () hasn't been updated yet. And it states quite clearly—I think this point has been hammered home at least five times now:
Chapter IX. FOREIGN GAMING OPERATIONS Section 68. (1) It is prohibited: 1. For foreign operators to organize games of chance as defined in Section 5 or prize competitions under Section 69 of this Law within the territory of the United States, 2. To participate in foreign games of chance if the stakes are being paid within the United States, 3. To collect stakes within the United States for participation or payment in games of chance organized abroad, 4. To sell, hold, commercially assign, issue, advertise, or engage in any promotion or advertisement of foreign games of chance or prize competitions within the United States. (2) The prohibition mentioned in paragraph 1, point 4 of this section also applies to service providers and publishers. (3) Individuals who do not hold American citizenship but are temporarily residing in the United States are permitted to hold stakes or tickets from foreign games of chance for their own personal participation in the game.
Federal and international regulations generally supersede our local statutes.
Unless this specific provision gets amended—which it really ought to have by now, assuming my common sense isn't failing me, though I can't be entirely certain.
darkhound77 said:Betting through offshore sites isn't legal here, and fines can hit an individual anywhere from $10,000 up to $50,000.$0.00 for a private citizen
I wonder how that square with European Union laws regarding the free movement of capital? Or more importantly, doesn't it clash with the whole fundamental concept of equality? If some other citizen in the EU can do it, why are we stuck in the US being unable to play online?
Christian Hernandez11 said:If you used a card, you've got a three-day window to get those docs over to them.
Alright, thanks. I sent them an email letting them know I'd handle it in about a week, and they said that was fine.
Now, what on earth is this supposed to mean: "Credit Card Statement"?
I figured out I need to send my driver's license or passport—front and back—along with a photo of the card I used for the deposit, but this part here is still a bit fuzzy...
Has anyone here dealt with DraftKings before? Do I really need to start uploading all those documents right away?
I’m playing normally for now, and I already sent an email, but they're insisting I upload everything ASAP. Honestly, I'm just not feeling it. I always assumed this kind of thing was only necessary once you actually hit the withdrawal button, you know?
I suppose if they had FanDuel, they’d probably need to allow deposits via PayPal or some similar service too. They always tack on a few percent in fees—honestly, I can't quite recall the exact amount...
I’m thinking about topping up my account at DraftKings. Is it actually okay to fund it directly using a foreign currency credit card? And if I do that, will they let me pull my winnings out via PayPal later on?
I noticed swiftlynx34 mentioned earlier that most sportsbooks insist on paying out to the exact same account used for the initial deposit. So, does that mean my plan above is a bit of a non-starter?
Angelina Jolie said:Hey everyone, does anyone know what the deal is with withdrawing winnings from foreign betting sites directly into a US bank account? Ever since things changed back in early 2014, it feels like Levin, the IRS, and the rest of the tax hawks are watching every single cent we pull in. I can't help but think the feds might come down hard on those kinds of transactions. What’s your take?
Honestly, why would it even be illegal to collect money from an overseas bookie, especially now that we're part of the global economy?
Meridian is probably the absolute worst sportsbook to ever exist.
The site glitches out every three days like clockwork, so you can't even log in for a few hours when you actually want to use it.
I ended up putting money in there because they were dangling some bonus in front of me. The catch? You had to place a certain number of bets at minimum odds of 1.5. So, I figured I’d just place a smaller wager on something around 1.60 to check the box and grab the bonus, but they hit me with the "sure, you can bet, but only if the odds are 1.48."😂 It’s a constant shell game. They tell you the requirement is 1.7, then they drop it to 1.50, or they move the goalposts just enough to keep you chasing it.😁
Benjamin King2 said:It shouldn't be clearing anything out—honestly, it sounds like your port is just acting up. Try swapping it over to some other USB ports and see if that fixes it.
Still making that ridiculous crackling sound... loud enough to drive anyone crazy.
I’ve got them hooked up, but they’re making all sorts of weird noises—just constant static and chirping even when there isn't any audio playing at all.
Is there some kind of fix for this, or am I just looking at a trip back to Best Buy to return them?
Benjamin King2 said:You could always just grab this one too—honestly, you aren't going to notice much of a difference with the pricier speakers unless you're counting an extra 1W of power as a massive upgrade. 🙂
I’m looking for some speaker recommendations. Budget is roughly around $67, though I could stretch it a bit if it’s actually worth the extra cash—otherwise, no point in overpaying just for the sake of it. It's mostly just casual listening, movies, and gaming, nothing too intense or high-end 🤷 . My main constraint is desk real estate; I don't want anything massive cluttering up my workspace.
Managed to flip those 400 Euros in just seven days, and the bonus finally landed in my account. Looking back at how much I’ve been hitting up the local sportsbooks lately, I’ve come to a bit of a realization... I'm overplaying my hand. Just forcing bets for the sake of it, which is a losing game...
Meridian is pretty rough to deal with; they make it a headache to make deposits, and if they don't like your action, they just slash the odds. The only saving grace is the live betting lines, though even those are hit or miss...
I’m sitting with slightly less than what I started with before my last deposit, even after factoring in that 50 Euro bonus—which, let's be honest, isn't even a real bonus, just a free bet...
Basically, a whole lot of unnecessary stress for absolutely nothing...