In the USA, most laws about gambling and casino games seem to be aimed at when and where you’re allowed (or not allowed) to participate in gambling of a certain kind. For example, there are only a few states where playing at an online casino for real money is legal. It pays to know your gambling legislation as a simple slip-up in your quest to find great jackpot slots or other related activity could land you in some serious trouble. Usually, tradition and culture are the main culprits behind the strange and often outdated laws surrounding gambling in the USA.
Weird gambling laws
What makes a law weird? Well, most laws are put in place as serious and structured guidelines for the balance and security of the lives of citizens. However, some laws are so ridiculous and bizarre that citizens cannot help but laugh or be confused. One particularly puzzling law allows you to bet on a horse at a racetrack anywhere in the country but forbids you from betting on them through online casinos and sportsbooks. Here’s another weird one: did you know that it is illegal for women to gamble in Oklahoma if they are only wearing a towel or lingerie or if they are nude? Why any woman would want to gamble in a towel is beyond us, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for the strange laws that the US has for its gambling industry. If you’d like to go beyond the USA and Earth, we also take a look and ask, “Is gambling in space legal?”
Let’s take a look at some of the other gambling laws by state and see just how odd things get.
North Carolina bingo
The state of North Carolina allows charitable institutions and organizations to use bingo for fundraisers. By law, a single bingo session may not last longer than five hours at a time. It is also illegal to have more than two bingo tournaments in one week. The two tournaments are not allowed to be held on consecutive days either. Therefore, a bingo weekend is out of the question.
Kentucky turns losers into winners
In Kentucky, gamblers have a chance to get their money back. The Loss Recovery Act allows any gambler who loses $5 or more while gambling to sue so that their money can be recovered. Not only do you have a chance at getting your losses back, but you can sue for up to three times the amount you lost. What’s more bizarre is if the player who lost does not sue the winner within six months, then anybody else can sue the winner on their behalf. It makes you wonder if the guy across the table is losing on purpose and gambling on potentially winning three times the losses back. This law was implemented to deter people from breaking the state’s gambling ban.
West Virginia location lockdown
In West Virginia, there is a massive section in the gambling statutes dedicated to where gambling may legally take place. As it stands, tavern and hotel owners may not host gambling in their outhouses. If the owner of a tavern or hotel allows anyone to gamble in their outhouses, they are committing a misdemeanor. They could end up spending a few months in prison, receive a fine and potentially lose their business license. One can only conclude that at some point in West Virginia’s history, enough people were gambling in outhouses that there needed to be a strange law to prevent it.
Alabama Sundays
According to the Alabama Criminal Code, it is illegal to race, hunt, play cards or play dominoes on a Sunday. This section of the law isn’t found in Alabama’s gambling statutes but rather in the section entirely dedicated to activities that are illegal on Sundays. This prohibition may have its roots in the Christian tradition of not working on Sundays. Still, it’s hard to believe that it would be illegal for your kids to play Go Fish on a Sunday afternoon or race each other around the neighborhood on their bicycles. You probably won’t be arrested for playing dominoes or any casino dice games on a Sunday – but if you are caught, there’s a chance that you could face a fine between $10 and $100.
Laws for online gambling in the USA
There are only a few states and territories in which you are legally allowed to gamble at online casinos in the United States. Here are the highlights of some weird online gambling laws in the US.
New Jersey
New Jersey is currently the largest marketplace for online gambling in the United States. Over a dozen legal and licensed online casino sites compete for an overall market worth more than $225 million a year. One of the stranger restrictions that New Jersey faces with its gambling laws is that sled dog racing is only allowed at agricultural fairs and exhibits.
Colorado
Regulated sports betting was introduced in Colorado in May 2020, just six months after the public voted for the legalization of retail and online wagering. This makes Colorado the 18th state to institute legalized and operational sports betting. The weird part comes in under C.R.S. 18-10-106, which states that transmitting gambling information by telephone, telegraph or radio is a class 3 misdemeanor that can become a class 6 misdemeanor for repeat offenders.
Michigan
Michigan has a funny relationship with gambling and casinos, both online and land-based. While there is no specific online gambling law in Michigan, state lawmakers once enacted a bill that made online slots and other online casino games illegal in Michigan, only to overturn it the following year. The restrictions (or lack thereof) are even weirder on gambling at carnivals and retirement homes. Companies promoting bingo games tend to tour retirement homes across the state.
Indiana
Indiana is a conservative Midwestern state where gambling is a widespread activity. Indiana launched sports betting just in time for the 2018 football season, and the retail sports betting books opened in September 2019 along with the state’s first online mobile betting app. The weird law about gambling in Indiana is an old one but certainly very odd. In 1993, when casinos were first legalized, casinos had to be located on the water. Ohio River and Lake Michigan are the two common waterways where you can find riverboat casinos. The restriction to water was later relaxed when racetracks were finally permitted to offer casino slot games and video poker.
Explore the best online casino in the US
All these weird gambling laws sure can raise an eyebrow and a chuckle. Some US states have gone out of their way to address the gambling industry, whether for online or land-based casinos. If you reside in a state that allows you to play online casino games, why not try your luck and register at Borgata Online? We offer a wide range of casino table games, bingo, slots, Slingo and more.