Legal Sports Betting For North Dakota Residents
Legal North Dakota sports betting is not the conundrum that many think it to be. In fact, understanding legal sports betting in ND is quite simple when you look further into the laws. Sports betting in North Dakota is only illegal if you bet with someone in a live situation, like meeting a bookie in a bar or in an alley somewhere. Sports betting at a reputable online site has never caused anyone to be arrested, and you will not be the first. This is because the fact is that it is not illegal to bet on sports over the Internet in the state of North Dakota.
North Dakota’s gambling laws are so old that the Internet was not even around when they were written, and there is no general “wire” clause in the law that could be argued to envelop the Internet as a banned platform. All this means that you are allowed to bet on sports in the state of ND. In order to do so, of course, you simply have to find a bookmaker that is allowed to take North Dakota customers. Fortunately, all the top offshore sports betting sites do just that.
Residents of North Dakota can place bets at online sportsbooks without any fear. Because North Dakota residents don't have the kind of easy access to brick and mortar sportsbooks like some other Americans, online wagering is by far the easiest way for citizens of North Dakota to place bets on their favorite sporting events. With no gambling laws that even mention the word “Internet”, “online,” or “sports,” ND residents can bet at legal North Dakota sports betting sites without issue.
To read the betting and gambling section of the North Dakota Century Code for yourself, you can check out the requisite laws here. Section 12.1-28-01 et seq. is where to look for all the pertinent information on ND gambling and sports betting.
Sports Betting Laws in North Dakota
There simply aren’t any laws about online sports betting in the state of North Dakota. Federal laws exist controlling sports betting on American soil to a small degree, but the federal government is not interested in prosecuting individual sports bettors, only illegal gaming providers.
Thus, it has never been federally illegal to place sports bets in the US, even when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992) was in full effect. Now that PASPA has been overturned, of course, only the Wire Act of 1961 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA, 2006) are in effect, and neither of these criminalizes the individual for placing sports wagers on the Internet.
The simple answer is no. In the Peace Garden State, there have never been any arrests for anything related to online sports betting. North Dakota is not one of the few states in America that have specific laws against online wagering, and a recent change in the focus of the 1961 Federal Wire Act indicates that the US government is only authorized by law in cracking down on sports betting providers that operate illegally on American soil. That means that offshore sportsbooks that accept US wagers are safe for citizens of North Dakota to use.
Bovada is one of the best sportsbooks online. They provide their players with a number of advantages compared to lesser bookmakers, including the best website in the business. Other benefits include guaranteed deposits, live in-game betting, mobile betting across all iPhone, iPad, and Android products, and a $250 Sports Welcome Bonus with the industry’s most generous 5X rollover. Bovada has various funding methods, emphasizing Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and wire transfers. They cover every possible sport, making for one of the most generous betting experiences around. Safety is paramount with Bovada, too. From their state-of-the-art data security and encryption to the fact that they’ve never missed a single payout for any of their tens of thousands of North Dakota customers, you can bet at Bovada with confidence.
BetOnline covers their users with one of the most generous bonuses, a 50% deposit match worth up to $1000 – just use promo code “BOL1000” when making your first deposit to claim this offer. Their service even comes with some of the highest paying odds on the Internet, and they cover dozens of national and international sports. No other sportsbook is as generous as BetOnline, as they even offer odds that pay out much higher winnings than many other betting sites. Your financial options at BetOnline are also second to none, as the site uses Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, DASH, Bitcoin Cash, and credit cards as their primary deposit methods. Of course, you will also see that wire transfers can be used to fund your account, as can cashier’s checks and money orders. We have used BetOnline as our primary betting site for a long time, and they are always improving their service. With one of the easiest sites to navigate on desktop or mobile, BetOnline is your one-stop shop for all things sports and sports wagering. Sign up today, claim your bonus, and lay it on the line!
With all the sportsbooks out available for players to check out, SportsBetting is probably one that usually gets overlooked. That is very odd because SportsBetting has some really cool stuff on here for players like a 50% welcome bonus for them. The betting odds are very similar and even better and there is also a lot of betting features here like the live betting and mobile betting option. Sports fans want to see that their sportsbook has a lot of sports despite not much happening in the sporting world in ND. Still, SportsBetting has all the sports like NFL, NBA, MMA, MLB, and others to bet on.
Sports fans need to hurry and sign up for a MyBookie sportsbook account as quickly as possible. The one reason they need to do this is because of the features that it offers. Most of the time, there is a lot of betting options here for better and once they log in, more bets will pop up. This only means more money for players to win as they have all the different games and types of bets they would like to make on MyBookie. Once done signing up, players will choose from the best banking methods available to them on the side. Hurry and sign up and start making money.
There are two federal laws that every North Dakota sports bettor should become familiar with: the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992) was the most restrictive of the federal anti-gambling laws, but this was overturned by the Supreme Court in May 2018, allowing North Dakota – and all other states – to make their own sports betting laws.
Of the remaining pair of federal laws, it is important to remember that neither one of them makes it illegal for an individual North Dakota sports bettor to place wagers over the Internet at offshore sportsbooks. Indeed, these laws don’t affect individual gamblers in any way, shape, or form, instead focusing on other commercial aspects of the industry.
The Wire Act pertains to how sports wagers and related information are transmitted across state lines. The law prohibits those in the gambling business from using wire communication facilities to accept sports bets or assist with the placement bets. While the law was created with only telegraphs and telephones in mind, its scope now extends to the Internet. Again, the Wire Act only applies to gambling businesses based in the United States, not those placing bets.
The UIGEA was signed by former President George W. Bush, and it essentially serves as a law to prevent US financial institutions from knowingly processing transactions that are related to Internet gambling. Payment processors and banks that utilize credit card, wire transfers, and other designated payment systems are supposed to have measures in place to block online gambling transactions, but these measures are largely ineffective. As a sports bettor, the UIGEA will only impact you by making your credit card deposits get declined from time to time. Online sportsbooks offer several payment methods and use various processors to help prevent this from happening, the most popular of which is now Bitcoin (and other altcoins like Ethereum, Litecoin, Stellar, Cardano, Ripple, DASH, Bitcoin Cash, and so on).
In North Dakota, residents are advised to wait until after their 21st birthday to start betting on sports. The legal ND betting age is the same as most places in the US, and potential sports bettors should always abide by this law. Some sports betting sites will accept bettors at a younger age (usually 18+), but state law always trumps the minimum age requirements set by the betting sites. While you will never be arrested for underage gambling over the Internet, it is expedient to present yourself as in compliance with the laws of your area.
Legal mobile sports betting brings all the sportsbook features that you love into one convenient mobile package. You can take your online sportsbook with you everywhere you go and still be able to bet on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, and more. The mobile sports betting apps (or, more aptly, web apps) offered by legal North Dakota sports betting sites are compatible with most smartphone and tablet devices, including iPhones, iPads, Windows Surface tablets, Androids, and Blackberry handsets.
You can even get exclusive mobile sports betting bonuses from sites like SportsBetting and BetOnline just for trying out their mobile platform. There is no download necessary; just visit your favorite sports wagering website from your mobile device of choice, and you will be directed to the service’s mobile-optimized sportsbook.
Are Online Sportsbooks Prepared to Accept Bets from North Dakota Citizens?
Yes. Any online book that takes American bets will take such bets from citizens of North Dakota. N.D. is not a state that has any complicated regulations related to online sports betting and legal North Dakota sports betting sites welcome residents with open arms.
How Can I Tell if an Online Book is Legal and Regulated?
Look for certification information on the site’s main page. There will often be a badge or link to their terms & conditions which will highlight their credentialing. You can also contact their customer service department to make sure that your wagers are legal and to get more specific information. You will find much of this information in our legal online sports betting site reviews.
What Is The Best Legal Deposit Option?
The best legal deposit option for North Dakota residents is Bitcoin. The Bitcoin digital currency (or cryptocurrency) is fast, secure, and reliable for all of your banking needs. Rather than having to provide your bank account information to the legal ND sports betting site you’re using, you can just transfer Bitcoin directly from your wallet to the book. Funds are credited to your account within minutes, and there are never any deposit fees. If you are unsure of how to purchase or use Bitcoin, the cashier page of your online sportsbook will usually have step-by-step guides on Bitcoin account setups, deposits, and withdrawals.
In terms of the teams based in North Dakota to bet on, the list is extremely short. There are no MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, or even MLS teams that call the Peace Garden state home. While there are no professional teams, there are still a few collegiate teams that you can bet on. The only two major NCAA teams in the state are the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the North Dakota State Bison, which will both have betting lines during big games.
NFL fans in ND tend to bet on either the Minnesota Vikings or the Green Bay Packers, while MLB fans bet mostly on the Minnesota Twins. Legal North Dakota sports betting sites have a wide range of betting lines for both collegiate and professional sports, of course, so whichever teams you’re pulling for – even if they’re halfway across the country – will be right at your fingertips 24/7.