Originally Posted by
Mac4Lyfe
Players have little to fear. There is no federal law against playing online. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway admitted in a 2007 House hearing that just placing wagers online isn't against federal law. Players might run afoul of state laws, but even that is rare. The one case we know of is Jeffrey Trauman, of North Dakota, who paid a $500 fine on what was probably over $100,000 in sports bet winnings. (Gambling & the Law)
Small publishers taking ads have little to fear.
The only publishers to face penalties were some huge publishers (Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, in 2007), and a mid-size publisher in 2006 (The Sporting News). Each simply paid a fine, and faced no criminal charges. The Sporting News' fine was equal to the money they'd collected from gambling ads. Google's penalty was only about a third of a single day's profit for them. (Point-Spreads.com)
Other publishers who took ads (like Esquire, who ran Bodog's poker ads) were warned by the DoJ not to take them any more, stopped doing so, and faced no penalties.
Smaller publishers have never been warned by the feds to stop taking online gambling ads, so far as we know.
Advertisers who promote their sportsbooks in traditional media (magazines, billboards) can face scrutiny as operators. But sportsbooks have never been scrutinized for advertising online. Also, online casinos, poker rooms, and affiliates (vs. sportsbooks) have never faced heat for the act of buying ads, in any medium.
Operators have had no trouble as long as they're based outside the U.S., stay outside the U.S. and deal only with casino / poker wagers. Offshore sportsbooks might face action if they're blatant (advertising on billboards), and/or take bets over the phone.
That's the summary.