Online Gambling is a form of gambling that is conducted over the Internet. It includes sports betting, casinos, and other games of chance. This type of gambling is regulated by the states and the federal government.

The US Supreme Court overruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. In turn, the US Department of Justice allowed the states to pass legislation that addressed online gambling.

As a result, online casinos and poker sites are not currently legal in most territories. States that do permit gambling on the Internet vary in the types of activities that are permissible. Some allow Internet wagering on sports, while others prohibit such activity altogether.

There are some exceptions, such as New Jersey, which allows Internet betting on horse racing, fantasy sports, and poker. Twenty states also allow residents to wager on poker sites. However, some people feel that gambling is a waste of time and a threat to their health and well-being.

The United States has a long history of regulating gambling. Initially, the Wire Act of 1961 governed online gambling in the US. But the federal government is not yet prepared to enact broader regulations.

In the meantime, federal criminal statutes are implicated in online gambling. These include the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the Travel Act. While the two pieces of legislation are based on the same basic principles, they differ in some important ways.

The Commerce Clause, a section of the Constitution that governs interstate commerce, has been invoked to prosecute illegal Internet gambling. However, these attacks have been largely unsuccessful.