Most state gambling laws prohibit unlicensed games, wagers, or bets that have outcomes that rely at least partially upon some element of chance. That’s why knowing your rights and the local gambling laws can stand you in good stead. So, what’s legal in casino-friendly Nevada may not be permitted across the border in gamble-shy Utah, for example. Unwittingly participating in an unlicensed gambling operation could land you in legal trouble. That’s largely because the federal government leaves it to individual states to write their own gambling laws.
In the United States, gambling laws vary wildly from state to state.