Legal Golf Betting Guide For USA Players

Although golf isn't one of America's big-four sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey), it still pulls in billions of dollars of revenue a year. The biggest golf stars on the PGA tour are still some of the biggest and most recognizable athletes on the planet. Even if you've never heard of golf and can't stand to watch it, it's a guarantee that you still know who Tiger Woods is. Golf is part of American culture, every bit as much as sports betting is, and the two meet perfectly through a sportsbook platform to bring together golf fans and betting fanatics alike.

There are multiple events on the PGA tour every year on which to bet, such as the Masters and the US Open, not to mention a broad range of international tournaments, players' championships, and other matches that make great betting fodder. At the end of the day, golf is one of the most recognizable sports on the planet, even if it's not one of its most popular. The thing about golf is that it's perhaps the strongest niche sport in existence. For people who are just so-so on golf, they don't pay it much mind. But for people who enjoy golf, they love it; they're fanatics. They're avid golf fans who keep their eyes glued to the screen for each hole. But beyond the typical fanfare or lack thereof, there's an entire different world of sports betters just below the surface. And they're constantly looking for ways to bet on golf at reputable legal golf betting sites. that offer premium lines, odds and features, such as live betting on golf.

This guide was developed as an effort to provide an accurate and reliable resource to US players who seek to understand their options as they relate to legal golf betting options. We have attempted to make it a highly comprehensive tool for golf fans, and have included various elements to make it meaningful to sports bettors, such as a guides to understanding golf odds and lines, how to bet on golf, and golf betting tips and tricks, just to name a few of the informational articles found in our Golf Betting Articles archive. You will also find some articles just for entertainment purposes, such as our pieces on the Top 5 Golf Courses in the World and the Greatest Golfers of All Time. It is a treasure trove of resources and entertainment for golf fans.

Below we offer our own personal recommendations on which online sportsbooks are the most reputable and trustworthy for both American and International players. All of the sites we recommend to our visitors are 100% legally licensed and regulated and offer some of the best golf betting opportunities around.

Betting on golf isn't as straightforward as some may hope it is. You can't just run out to the nearest shop or site and place money down on your favorite golfer. Well you can in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world because online betting is perfectly legal. However, because of the federal government in America habitually attempting to shut down gambling through various acts, it's difficult to navigate the sports betting minefield unless you know where to step. There are three main pieces of legislation all working in conjunction to pretty much put a stop to gambling establishments on American soil.

The first is the Federal Wire Act. Although decades old, this act pretty much keeps bookmakers and others within the betting industry from transferring funds via a wire (telephone, Internet, etc). So, this pretty much shuts down any site that's operating in America, or any little bookie's shop operating on the corner. The law only applies to sports betting, and only applies to US based gambling. But it's not just this act working alone; it has a lot of help.

The second big piece of legislation is PASPA. This act was originally geared toward amateur sports primarily, but also applies to professional sports as well, and it also had the added benefit of closing down those mom 'n' pop gambling spots which were operating on American soil. When combined with the Federal Wire Act, this is a very strong one-two combo pack of anti-gambling legislation, but even with those acts in place, legally licensed offshore gambling sites were still able to gain a foothold.

People figured out how to skirt the first two laws, until the third act came along to really throw a monkey wrench into gamblers' plans. The UIGEA, which is the biggest and boldest of them all, basically cleaned house and caused thousands of websites to shut down, costing billions of dollars in lost money and thwarted revenues.

To put it simply, the federal government isn't playing around with gambling on US soil. Unless it's a government-sanctioned lottery, which ironically seems to be not only okay but actually encouraged, the government doesn't even want you playing football pools on a weekly basis. They take this Puritanical drive to stop gambling seriously, and outside of Oregon, Delaware, Nevada and Montana, they have shut sports gambling down in 46 states. So, to find legal golf betting, you're going to have to look outside of the United States.

For as powerful and intimidating as America is inside of America, they're basically powerless to stop gambling outside of America. So, if a sportsbook is set up off of US soil, holds legitimate licensing and compliance certifications, and that sportsbook decides to take your money, there's nothing the government can do to stop it. There may come a day when the federal government says that American citizens cannot spend their money outside of the US via the Internet, but for right now, Americans are 100% free to spend their money on any offshore site they wish, which includes gambling websites.

So, if you want to gamble, all you need to do is find a good offshore site with which to bet. America has no control over this, and they cannot legally touch the money that's coming back to you – save the tax implications, of course. That's an area where you'll need to be above boards. This guide provides information on legitimate offshore sportsbooks operating legally within the industry. We offer detailed USA sportsbook reviews on the top rated sites in the industry that offer legal golf betting.

We don't want to give you the wrong impression here. We don't mean to be contradictory. It's fairly simple: Sports betting in the United States is illegal, except in four states, and the federal government strictly prohibits the exchange of monies intended for games of chance. However, the US cannot control what sites and companies do outside of their jurisdiction. So while it's illegal on US soil, it's perfectly legal offshore. As long as you find a licensed and regulated offshore site, you've found legal golf betting. There isn't some special exception for golf or anything. This works with any type of gambling: Online poker, football betting, basketball brackets, golf, etc. If you can find it offshore, then it's legal to gamble on.