Gambling Online Is A Grey Area… Unless You Live In North Dakota

READ MORE: Laws, Legalities, Online Gambling

Think you got it bad when your mom won’t send you $20 via Neteller to get your football picks in for the week? While that does suck, at least you’re not North Dakota’s own Jeffrey Trauman, who’s profiled for his dumb luck on Poker Player Newspaper:

Jeffrey Trauman has made history. As best I can tell, he is the first, and only, person who has actually been charged and convicted of online gambling…

According to Jeff, he was charged with “placing a wager over $500,” a misdemeanor in North Dakota. Rather than fight it, he pleaded guilty, was fined $500 and given a one-year deferred sentence, and split to Kentucky…

Assistant Cass County State’s Attorney Bud Myers is reported as saying that Jeff “went a little beyond” the $500 minimum. The police searched Jeff’s house in April 2003 and discovered $43,000 in cash in one desk drawer… (and he) had another $300,000 in overseas accounts. Jeff thinks his problems started because he was too honest. Since sports betting was his major source of income, he put “professional gambler” as his occupation on his federal tax return.

Lessons learned? Don’t move to North Dakota, don’t tell the IRS you’re making big money in Antigua, and when Bud Myers comes a knockin’, make sure you hide your $43K a little better than Jeffy did.

Busted for Betting Online [PokerPlayer Newspaper]