There is no doubt across the entire country and within the state of Vermont in particular that online gambling is a popular hobby. The problem is that it’s a landscaped littered with legal conundrums and complicated language that can leave anyone who attempts to decode it more confused than before they started.
The staff here at LegalVermontGambling.com wants to reassure that gambling sites that accept Vermont residents are legal to use and participate with and we would be right, but we also know that many Vermont players do not want to leave anything to chance. We wrote this page to help break down the Vermont gambling laws in plain English and show residents how both federal and state policies apply to their rights regarding gambling online for real money. We’ve included an overview of federal policy as well as an in depth look at state law regarding online gambling. It’s our most sincere hope that all who visit this page manage to leave it with a deeper understanding of the laws that govern them.
In addition to these federal policies, Vermont residents are also held to their own state laws. We highlighted the most important policies as they relate to gambling below. You can access the entirety of the Vermont constitution from their legislative homepage at legislature.vermont.gov. Fortunately, Vermont laws follow much the same pattern as federal ones do where it is illegal to facilitate or participate in illicit gambling, but lawful to engage in gambling with legitimate enterprises.
§ 2101 - This section of Vermont state code highlights what the federal policies work so hard to promote. It is a serious crime in the state of Vermont to establish or operate an illicit gambling business, and carries a penalty of three years in prison. By ensuring that their relationship with any casinos, sportsbooks or poker rooms is only as a participant, Vermont residents can avoid any trouble from this law.
§ 2133 - This law is as close as Vermont comes to criminalizing gambling. Although residents who gamble only with safe and legal venues are safe from prosecution, it is a misdemeanor to associate oneself with an illicit casino. As long as a Vermont resident avoids those mobsters and bookies, they should remain safe.
§ 2137 - This law is as close as Vermont comes to criminalizing gambling. Although residents who gamble only with safe and legal venues are safe from prosecution, it is a misdemeanor to associate oneself with an illicit casino. As long as a Vermont resident avoids those mobsters and bookies, they should remain safe.
§ 2137 - This section allows law enforcement agencies to seize any instruments that one could use for gambling (slot machines, video poker machines, etc.) without any prior notice. Basically, if you get caught with a gambling device then you can expect to have it confiscated, and even possibly face fines or other punishments.
§ 2143 - This section of the law decrees that only charitable, non-profit gambling shall be sanctioned in the state of Vermont. We all love helping our fellow man, but if we want to line our own pockets, we will need to resort to legal gambling sites for Vermont players.
Look Up All The Gambling Laws In Vermont - Click Here
There are a few federal laws that had a major effect on gambling throughout the country. Although the language in them sounds rather scary, there is a key fact to remember when analyzing all of the laws in relation to online gambling – none of them apply to players. Missing from all the legislation is what the law does to those caught participating in online gambling, and this is not by accident but by design. All of these laws apply only to those who facilitate online gambling, not those who merely participate in it.
The Federal Wire Act – Strangely enough, the first policy against online gambling is older than the internet itself. In 1961 when organized crime was a rampant problem, congress passed the Federal Wire Act at the urging of then-senator Robert F Kennedy. This act criminalized the use of wire communication devices (later ruled to include the internet) for bookmakers to use to transmit information across state lines. Although this law hit bookmakers hard, the letter of the law expressly excused mere bettors from punishment under this act.
The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) – If the Wire Act made life for bookmakers difficult, the PASPA made it practically impossible. Passed in 1992, this law strictly prohibits the act of bookmaking whether a wired communication device is used or not. This means that anyone caught merely taking a bet at any sort of profit to themselves (other than the amount won from the bet) is guilty of a felony. Again, players are excused from this law, but it does make it tough to find a law abiding bookmaker. As of 2015, four states are exempt from the PASPA, Oregon, Delaware, Montana, and Nevada. New Jersey is involved in a long struggle to repeal the act.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) – After the Supreme Court ruled that the Wire Act applied only to sports betting and not online casinos or poker rooms, the UIGEA passed as a tacked-on addition to the Safe Port Act. This law criminalized the use of the internet to facilitate gambling, and effectively forced all US based gambling sites to shut down or move. It also banned the use of EFTs (Electronic Fund Transfers) to fund gambling accounts. Again, this law targeted only functioning websites, not players.
Even though we know that players cannot be punished under these laws, how is a Vermont resident to find a legally functioning enterprise to take their bet or host their poker game? The answer is simple: legal gambling sites that accept Vermont residents are based offshore and outside US and Vermont jurisdiction. This allows US citizens to gamble legally with legal businesses.
Despite the fact that the state of Vermont does not sanction any land based gambling facilities, they are one of the more friendly states towards gambling in the entire union. With a minimum age of only 18, as soon as a Vermont resident can go to war, vote, and light a cigarette, they may take part in legal gambling thanks to the internet.
Despite two constitutions full of scare-language concerning gambling, we can see that there are not actually any laws against the act written anywhere. Now and forever, residents are free to try legal gambling in Vermont and their luck using any of the legal gambling sites listed anywhere on this site.
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