• There are many gambling laws, many of which vary depending on the state.poker - a pair of aces with poker chips 5 image by Andrew Brown from Fotolia.com
  
  Many laws deal with illegal gambling in the United States. Several federal laws outline gambling regulations, but state laws govern most gambling restrictions in a given area. For this reason, people sometimes go to another state to gamble. Gamblers need to know the local laws before participating in a game.
  
  

Internet Gambling Prohibition

• Regulating Internet gambling in the United States has proven to be difficult. Some states allow online gambling if gambling is legal within the state. However, some state courts have ruled that because online gambling websites are not located in a particular state, they can't be regulated by state statutes. Several states have responded by passing laws that ban online gambling. As of 2010, these states include Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.
  
  

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act

• The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act passed in 1988 led to individual tribes having the right to establish and operate casinos on their reservations, provided the reservation was in a state that allowed some form of gambling. This law does not override state laws expressly making gambling illegal in that state. This act regulates three classes of gambling. Class 1 gambling involves games of minimal value or those related to tribal ceremonies, and they are supervised by the reservation. Class 2 includes bingo, lotto and card games explicitly authorized by state law, and those activities are supervised by the state. All other forms of gambling are considered Class 3, and they require cooperation between the state and reservation.
  
  

Online Poker Laws

• As of 2010, online poker regulations remain a point of contention. In the nine states that expressly forbid gambling online, online poker is considered illegal. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed in 2006 was cited as a law that outlawed online poker. However, varying interpretations of the act have been presented. Lawyer Chuck Humphrey presented the opinion on the AintLuck website that the law makes it illegal for banks to fund accounts to online poker and gambling sites, but not illegal for players to actually play, provided it doesn't violate state law.