Offshore Sports Betting Sites
These offshore sports betting websites are favored because they let a gambler play several betting games from their homes in the most flexible way. Safe and Secure Playing at offshore betting sites is the same as dealing with a bank, whereby you will be sure of having your money safe and readily available at any time. Though online offshore sports betting sites cater to American betting habits – many have odds from just about every competition in the world. NFL offshore betting is by far the most popular sport to bet on, but those looking for NBA offshore betting or other major sports will have no issues finding lots of markets with large betting limits. All sports betting payoffs are calculated from the odds at the time of the wager. The general rule of thumb is that a player pays 10% juice one each wager. Thus, the standard betting line is $110. Jan 04, 2021 Intertops offshore sportsbook is currently licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and is believed to operate from Barbuda and Antigua. Some of the sports you can bet on here include Basketball, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Tennis, Soccer, Handball, Baseball, Cricket, UFC, and a lot more.
- Best Offshore Sportsbooks For Us Players
- Online Offshore Sports Betting Sites
- Best Offshore Sports Betting Sites
- Offshore Sports Betting Sites
The recent decision of the United States Supreme Court in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association that overturned the federal law that makes sports gambling illegal will have far-reaching impacts on the sports wagering marketplace. While the decision has led to the legalization of sports wagering in several states with efforts to legalize in many more, this still does not change some of the issues facing offshore sportsbooks that cater to U.S. players. It remains to be seen where gambling volume will go, but regulation will make wagering in states safer.
Federal Law and Offshore Betting
Murphy did not legalize sports betting nationwide, nor did it permit offshore entities to accept bets from American gamblers. The same prohibitions that caused federal law enforcement to crack down on online poker during Black Friday still remain in place with respect to offshore betting. Specifically, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which provided the legal underpinnings for Black Friday, still remains in place. Also, the WIRE Act is still valid federal law. In other words, unless there is a state law making wagering legal, it is still illegal to accept wagers.
Competition with States
Given that offshore betting entities will be in competition with taxpaying entities that are licensed to operate in various states, there is a potential for a crackdown on these entities in the future. The reality is that there are high stakes associated with sports wagering revenues, and after Murphy, states will have a vested interest in keeping sports betting onshore. It is projected that sports betting revenues will surpass $6 billion by 2023. Although it is difficult to estimate the total revenues of offshore sports betting, a rough estimate of their profits is between $2.5 billion and $3 billion. There are currently between 12 and 15 million sports bettors who wager through unregulated betting venues.
While winnings from offshore sportsbooks are taxable, the reality is that few taxes are paid on these winnings, giving the government a motive to curtail these operations. Although individual players are not at risk, the offshore operators are.
Tools for a Legal Crackdown on Offshore Betting
There are various mechanisms that law enforcement can employ in a crackdown against an offshore gambling operator. These methods are tried and true and have been used by the federal government before in contexts other than gambling.
First, it is important to understand the laws that can provide a framework for legal enforcement. There are two sets of laws that apply to gambling in this country. First, federal law governs some of the interstate elements of wagering, including wire communications and money transfers. Additionally, prior to Murphy, certain categories of betting, such as sports betting, were deemed illegal outside of Nevada. Second, the actual act of gambling itself is covered by state laws. Any enforcement by U.S. Attorneys will be related to federal laws. In addition, states have made various attempts in the past to crack down on online gambling.
The primary federal law that applies is the WIRE Act. This law makes it illegal to use wire communications to transmit bets or wagers or to assist in these activities. This enables the federal government to charge offshore betting operators with a federal crime for their use of the internet, which is considered to be a “wire communication.” Additionally, the Travel Act has also been read to prohibit online sports wagering since it makes illegal the use of interstate commerce to distribute proceeds of unlawful activities. Finally, UIGEA targets, among other things, the money transfers that power offshore sports betting. The UIGEA makes it illegal to accept payments in connection with wagers.
There have been efforts in the past on the state level to pressure internet service providers into ceasing to allow betting entities to operate in their states. For example, in 2009, Minnesota attempted to require ISPs to block state residents from accessing these sites online. This was challenged in a lawsuit and the eventual result was that Minnesota relented. There are other concerns, such as free speech issues, that make going after ISPs a tenuous proposition.
An effective tool that the federal government may deploy against offshore betting is enforcement under the UIGEA. Initially, payment processors sharply curtailed their activities in response to the legislation. Credit card companies exercised extreme vigilance in scrutinizing transactions with an eye towards compliance with the UIGEA. However, payment processors are much less afraid of government enforcement action than they were in the past, in part due to a lack of enforcement since UIGEA. Recently, credit card companies have begun to fund online gaming businesses. All that they require is a letter from the gaming operator’s lawyer that attests to the legality of the contest offered. Should the federal government act against the payment processors, it could effectively cut off the flow of funds to offshore betting.
Benefits of Betting in the U.S.
The recent trend towards the legalization of sports betting may help move some sports betting back onshore. This may have several benefits for sports bettors. First, offshore betting is completely unregulated. Players have no legal or regulatory protections whatsoever, and they assume risk every time that they place a wager in this medium. Consumer protection is an issue because there is nowhere to go to file a complaint in the event that a customer believes that were treated improperly. Further, there are no rules to be upheld other than the offshore operator’s own rules. By placing wagers onshore, through a licensed operator, players receive regulatory protection in the event that they experience an issue. There are established rules that sportsbooks must follow in order to maintain their licenses.
In addition, onshore operators will afford players a higher degree of safety than they would receive when betting offshore. There are numerous horror stories of offshore operators going under and taking their customers’ money down with them. There is less of a risk of this occurring with a licensed onshore casino. As regulated entities, these casinos will be scrutinized and regulatory attention may serve to prevent costly bankruptcies.
Free Betting News & Bonus OffersFind Out When You Can Legally Bet in Your StateTo the uninitiated, offshore betting can seem a bit mysterious. Here, you will find answers to the most common questions customers have about using an online betting site. We will also cover the pros and cons to opening up an account, plus point you in the right direction should you want to get started betting sports.
You only have a few options if you want to make a wager. If sports gambling is legal in your area, you have the option of finding a physical sportsbook or casino. If those options are not available, you are left with using a local bookie or online book. You best option by far is to take your action offshore, and here’s why.
Why to Choose Offshore Bookies for Sport Betting
Availability & Convenience
When you use an online betting site, you basically have access to wager sports anywhere in the world as long as you have an Internet connection. Games are available to bet on 24/7 and you can always call in wagers should you not have online access.
Placing wagers at a casino requires you to physically go to someplace to make your wagers. This is fine for casual betting, however, it is incredibly inconvenient if you bet with any kind of frequency.
Most local bookies have moved online and are just as easy to access as offshore books, however, they come with their own pitfalls, which we’ll cover below.
Payouts/Deposits
Our most common questions about betting offshore usually concerns how payouts and deposits will work. This area probably has the biggest learning curve for someone who have never bet online, but it’s dead simple, and once you’ve done it once, you’ll be set for life. Your best source on payouts and deposits is going to be the book where you end up choosing to open an account. Every site is a little bit different, but most allow for easy deposits/withdrawals using credit/debit cards, checks, wires, bitcoin, litecoin, or certain person-to-person money services.
Bitcoin
I would urge anyone that is serious about betting on sports to look into bitcoin to fund their accounts. You can learn a lot about it with our primer for using bitcoin to fund your sportsbook account. Bitcoin offers unparalleled security, privacy, and transaction speed when it comes to online wagering.
Best Offshore Sportsbooks For Us Players
Flexible Limits
The majority of casinos and local bookies have either very low maximums or very high minimums. Unless you are in Las Vegas, you will find it difficult to place wagers over $500. With local books, many times you must wager at least $100 or more (while also being capped at a lower number than you might want). The key here is lack of flexibility.
With the option of taking your bets to an online offshore site, you are going to have a lot more flexibility. Most shops start out with something like a $5 or $10 minimum bet and cap you off at around $2,000 by default. With that being said, almost every book will also increase your limit upon request, making it no issue to place wagers of $10,000 and up.
Betting Offshore Bonuses & Promotions
Something local bookies and casino sportsbooks don’t offer are bonuses. Most of the time you are looking at a 20%-100% deposit bonus, with varying degrees of other bonuses for account reloads. Many online books also offer free contests where you can win a ton of cash, plus season promotions. They are also able to offer specials like reduced juice at 5Dimes, which is one of our favorite bonuses ever as it gives you a built-in discount on almost every wager you place!
We’ve created our go-to guide for the best sportsbook bonuses to help make your decision easier when choosing an offshore account.
Security/Accountability/Privacy
One of the biggest drawbacks to using a local book is that you are betting almost entirely on credit. This is one of the reasons people get into trouble with gambling. It is too easy to bet more than you are comfortable with when you have no skin in the game. Offshore betting takes that out of the picture by forcing you to deposit money before you can make a wager. This makes it much easier to manage how much you actually have going in and out.
There is also the element of having to meet someone in person in order to pick up or drop off money. This can be uncomfortable or even dangerous as you may have large amounts of cash on your person. The same could be said about using a casino, where you’d need to carry a large bankroll into and out of the book, always worrying about who might have seen you with that much cash. Using an online book, you’ll never have to worry about that.
An added bonus to online wagers is anonymity. Offshore books do not share their records with anyone, keeping your privacy intact.
Online Offshore Sports Betting Sites
Vast Number of Wagering Options
Best Offshore Sports Betting Sites
Online sportsbooks give you the option to bet almost anything you can think of! Whether it’s game props, futures, parlays, straight bets, teasers, pleasers, or anything else you can dream up, you will have that option at an offshore site. Even local books that use sites to allow you to place wagers tend to restrict your access to more exotic wagers. Most casinos will offer a few popular options like season win totals or futures on major events, but the options are not nearly as diverse as you will find online.
Offshore Sports Betting Sites
What Are the Best Sports Betting Sites?
Now that you know why you should bet sports offshore, where do you go next? There are thousands of places to open and account and it’s really hard to know which ones are reliable. The good news is that we’ve taken the guesswork out of choosing an online book by only reviewing the top online sportsbooks. We wouldn’t recommend using any other sites. These are the established and most trusted offshore options out there.