Bingo halls are run under local and state laws. As long as nothing crosses state lines, they're safe. The internet is federally-regulated, and subject to much more draconian federal laws. Zeus is right in that part; the U.S. federal government has a zero tolerance policy for internet gambling. That's why all the poker sites and stuff are in Macao or Kazakhstan.Elaterate wrote:I don't know the ins and outs of the laws but I do know gambling laws are pretty strict whether it's online or not.... but by this logic wouldn't Bingo Halls across America that run a "family night" need to be shut down? The parents have to be there, have to spend money on the KIDS to play, and the kids can and do win prizes they take home.... so even if they won a basketball or a yo-yo it has some sort of cash value right? And wouldn't that be illegal since gambling isn't allowed damn near anywhere to anyone under 18?
(A parallel would be, for instance, cannabis regulation. Several states have legalized pot now, but it remains illegal federally, and the fed can and have raided pot dispensaries that were operating under legal state licenses.)
Yes, internet sites have been shut down in the U.S. for doing what they thought was a perfectly innocuous thing, offering cash prizes for a sweepstakes of some kind.
The CCup is not legally gambling because it does not have cash prizes. The prizes are Amazon gift certificates, which do not have a cash surrender value. Yes, there are gift card resale sites where you can probably sell them for 90% of their face value, but that doesn't change the fact that they're not cash equivalents. You can sell old cars in good condition and make more money than their original face value, but that doesn't mean a car is cash. You have to make some effort to get a good price; you can't just go to the bank and deposit a car, or an Amazon gift certificate.
Anyway, can we get this thread back on track and talk about how to get this tournament filled?
