Sports Betting In The U.S.A.

There is NO federal law that makes the act of wagering online with an offshore sportsbook illegal. The only federal law that addresses gambling is the wire act from the 1960's which makes it illegal to place wagers via the telephone. And, the US government passed a port security law that tacked on provisions (UIGEA) which makes it illegal for BANKS, not players, to fund or accept payment from "illegal" gaming sources. The only problem (for the government) is that there are dozens of third party methods available for funding and no way to trace ACH credits. Another problem for the DOJ is that they qualified the online gambling statement with "illegal online gambling" yet failed to define "illegal online gambling". There is no law that speaks to online gambling so UIGEA refers to no specific activity. In other words, the new provisions are only for show, a meager attempt to turn the banks into law enforcement agencies, and the end result is a waste of ink. I still use my VISA check card and e-check on my favorite sites. Online gaming will be impossible to completely eliminate from the US. The offshore gaming sites contend that since the wagers are being placed on their servers that the actual wagering is occurring outside of the USA, thus making the enforcement of any anti-gaming legislation impossible. The best they can do is make it inconvenient. Eventually I see the industry being regulated and taxed.
 
However, there are a few states with laws directed towards online wagering: Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington, Indiana, Nevada, New York, New Jersey and South Dakota. Although these states do have specific laws pertaining to online gaming, there has not been any charges brought forth because those laws are vague and those laws are currently being challenged.
 
Some sites have decided, on their own, to stop accepting American players. These are the publicly traded companies and most have returned to private owners. All of the sites that have been prosecuted have been for accepting wagers from Americans WHILE being based on US soil! It has nothing to do with off-shore online gambling. There are still many highly reputable sites that welcome and cater to American clients.
 
Answer #2 (re: baseball question)
The odds that are listed as +150 or -150 are 'american' style. This simply means that they are based on $100. When you see the number displayed as a (+) positive number it signifies how much you will win if you RISK $100. For an example you have odds listed as +150 so if you risk $100 then you will win $150 for a total return of $250. If the number is listed as a (-) negative number it signifies how much you must RISK in order to WIN $100. So if you see -150, then you must RISK $150 in order to win $100 for a total return of $250. For MLB games the spread, or Runline, is still 1.5 runs the negative number simply means that is the payout. In the UK you will see something like 10/11 or .900 it's just a different way to express the odds.

Keep in mind that this is not a question or a topic that is usually posted or covered on this site and it is not an area that I claim to have any knowledge in, but I did a little research for you and came up with these sites with tips on maintaining a professional ball field. This info is shared by a few head groundskeepers at professional sports stadiums. Notice the procedure that is used for the pitching mound and battersbox areas. Did you know that there are bricks patterned and buried in those areas on major league fields? Best of luck with your goal of becoming a professional groundskeeper!
 
Top 10 Field Maintenance Tips
 
Major League Turf Design Tips

Groundskeepers use parks as canvases

I have heard of this site called SportsPlays.com – this might be the site. There was also one other site called “centsports.com” that might have been the one your cousins were playing on but they merged with SportsPlays.com a while back. I honestly don’t know much about this site but please feel free to check it out and send your feedback to me. Good Luck!