International Waters and Online Poker

[ChrisMonkeymaker]

How legal is playing online in international waters, which is approximately 12 nautical miles from the shore of any country? What laws apply in international waters?

[Jacob_Gilliam]

The laws are the same as the country of the registration of the boat that you are on.

[danderso8]

what if you are swimming?

[Jacob_Gilliam]

Oh, come on.......

[Quicksilvre]

I think it's 200 miles now. Anyway, I believe that jacob is correct.

[ChrisMonkeymaker]

If so, how come there are boats in Florida that are not gambling casinos when they are at dock but then freely open the gambling games to the passengers once they're a certain number of miles from the shore?

[RoundTower]

A lot of boats use "flags of convenience", i.e. they are registered somewhere like Panama but operate out of a different country.

I have no idea whether this is how those cruiseboat casinos in Florida work.

There used to be casino boats operating out of the Houston area that opened their action after they reached a certain mile marker where they were out of the jurisdiction of Texas and Louisiana laws. I don't know how far it was. Florida law is probably similar.

I'm sure the offshore mileage is determined by the state(s) they are closest to. And I think the states' jurisdiction is considerably less than the Feds.

International law on the open seas is, naturally, complex, and probably doesn't include much in the area of gambling.

The 200 miles mentioned above seems a little high.

Hope this helped.

[tonypaladino]

Depends on how far you have to got out to not be under the juristiction of state laws.

200 miles is for federal laws, but there is no federal law against gambling.

[chadplusplus]

Ahem,

[ QUOTE ]
18 USCS § 1084. Transmission of wagering information; penalties

(a) Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

[/ QUOTE ]

Doesn't this make online poker illegal?

[ QUOTE ]

Doesn't this make online poker illegal?


[/ QUOTE ]

An issue your duly-selected Congressperson is currently ducking. Along with all the "real" issues they mangle during their Tuesday-to-Thursday work week (or is that weak work?), they have to juggle the lobbyist's meal invitations, the black tie dinners, the junkets, etc., etc. Jeeze, you expect them to bother with online gambling?

As a side note, I think the US laws cited above are not meant to cover gambling, per se. Rather, to be a way to make bookies guilty of a Federal rap. Like an angle shot.

[Quicksilvre]

[ QUOTE ]
(a) Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest...

[/ QUOTE ]

The stance of the Justice Department is that this bans online gambling, but I consider that tedious at best. In either case, online poker players just aren't getting prosecuted.

are you kidding? the poker sites themselves are off shore and they're making billions! lol

[papilindo]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(a) Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest...

It says "engaged in the BUSINESS of betting"...that is designed to cover bookies etc operating a for-profit venture within the US, it DOES NOT apply to private individuals making an independent wager, whether online, at the office or with a friend, etc.

[BillsChips]

A boat only needs to be out 3 miles to be in International waters.