Are Americans legally allowed to play online internet bingo and win cash money prizes or can US citizens only play online bingo for fun?

The question is that is it legal for citizens of the United States of America to play online bingo?

Well the short answer is probably YES. Bingo is just a game; it’s like asking “Can Americans play Monopoly, Bridge or Scrabble?” It is legal to play online bingo but here’s the rub. Technically a US player is not allowed to receive cash prizes from playing bingo. In 2006, the UIGEA law was passed, attempting to stop US players from gambling. Many people see this as an infringement of civil liberties and indeed one correspondent I read suggested that it was possibly against human rights!

I don’t know about human rights but this seems to me to be an impossible law to enforce, there are just too many grey areas, especially when dealing with the internet. Indeed the number of Americans playing bingo is apparently growing. Most bingo websites are situated outside the United States so do not come under US jurisdiction and can not be ‘controlled’ by the US government. Therefore the government has focused on the US banking system to try to stop US citizens playing bingo for money. But of course the web is a wonderful entity and many banking institutions do not come under US law.

Why do you think the US government would institute such a law to restrict gambling? Social consequences, maybe. Protection of US citizens from the evils of gaming, possibly. But why then is a state lottery in 43 US states legal? Is not a lottery so similar to bingo that they are effectively the same game? A series of numbers that end up with one or more players winning the jackpot, or smaller prizes?

Well my opinion gained from the many blogs I have read on the subject is the old subject of taxation. Where is the US tax dollar coming from. Not from the offshore bingo sites of course and not from players winnings. The view is that the lack of ability to collect taxes lead to this decision. Indeed many legislators feel that players should be allowed to play for money, as long as the US IRS is informed of their earnings!

So in a nutshell, citizens of the United States are allowed to play online cash bingo for money but banks are not allowed to pay you your winnings or process your deposits. Fortunately if you really want have the same privileges as much of the rest of the western world there are many law abiding bingo websites that welcome US players. Using various methods of payment and using legal offshore companies Americans can enjoy one of the most popular internet online games.

Funtime bingo is one such site. Based in Cyprus under the umbrella corporation of BMX Entertainment Ltd, it has been around for over ten years and offers some of the best online bingo and chat games.

Tell me more about Funtime Bingo

Information about online bingo for USA players

Fun Time bingo

Read their terms and conditions if you are unsure about the legality of you playing but I for one have not found one instance yet on the internet where someone has been prosecuted for playing online bingo.

If you know different or have your own ideas about US gaming laws then please leave a comment.

Please note that this article is my view and opinion. It is not a full explanation of any US laws. It is not intended to encourage un-responsible gambling or an incitement to break any laws of any country.

If you decide sign up for the any bingo website it is entirely at your own discretion.