In 1996, online gambling was a very new concept. Few, if any, websites had the ability to offer this type of entertainment. The past decade has seen a huge growth in this industry, with websites offering the ability to bet on anything from sports to Casino games, or to purchase lottery tickets from a vast selection of locations.

While each state in the US has its own gambling laws, most Internet websites do not fall neatly under the laws of any particular state simply because of the nature of the business. It can be very difficult to determine if an online operation is running legally or not. It all comes down to addressing three fundamental components:

1. Consideration (putting aside something of value)
2. Prize
3. Chance (as opposed to skill)

Most states rule that gambling is not taking place unless the