After the recent shutdown of poker sites in the United States, many fantasy sports sites have been flooded with questions about the legality of fantasy sports in the United States. To the surprise of many, the answer is yes. Online gambling is legal in the United States, and federal laws are specifically enforced that allow fantasy sports. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which was passed to curb fraud and other online gambling problems, includes a clause in the law that says fantasy sports are games of skill rather than games of chance, essentially eliminating any doubt about fantasy’s legitimacy.

Consumers should be careful what type of fantasy games they play.

Almost all games on the market today are legal, but some games cross the line into gambling. The biggest difference between legal fantasy sports and illegal sports is how the teams are selected. Real fantasy sports are based only on statistics, not match results. This is outlined in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 2006. Other games such as “pick me” and “pool” should not be advertised as fantasy-type games because the outcome of the game or contest directly affects who wins. Hugely popular both online and offline, online gambling is illegal in the US as, in its simplest form, people bet money on a team’s performance. That fact alone makes it a gamble.

Assuming that statistics are the biggest element that makes fantasy sports unique from other illegal gambling, listed below are some other rules that make this game legal.

All prizes and awards awarded to winners will be determined and notified to participants prior to the match or competition and their value will not be determined by the number of participants or the amount of fees paid by such participants.

All winning results reflect the relative knowledge

and skill of the participants and are primarily determined by statistical results of individual performance (athletes across sporting events) in various real-world sports or other events.

The outcome of victory is not based solely on an individual athlete’s individual performance in one real-world sport or other event.

Another problem that can be quickly forgotten by shutting down poker sites is how they hide their profits and force the bank or trick them into getting payouts. If you’ve ever tried to buy chips from a poker site, you understand how difficult it can be. Because fantasy sports are legal, they don’t have to hide behind all the smoke and mirrors of 사설토토. The only problem for fantasy sports players in this case is that they have to claim the prize on top of their $600 tax. However, many fantasy sports companies already file tax forms for prizes over $600, so there’s no confusion this time of year.

Sports fans can rest easy knowing that regular fantasy sites offer a great way to enhance your favorite sport and that it’s completely legal.

Kurt is the co-founder of Pugh II, a US-based fantasy sports company that offers football, MMA, baseball and basketball leagues. They offer the first state-based MMA fantasy league as well as weekly football challenges and playoffs.