The legality of sports betting differs around the world. It may be legal or illegal in different countries, and can be regulated by the government. In the UK it has been legal and illegal over the course of history, and has been regulated and unregulated. There have been times when it was regulated and illegal at the same time, in such a way that licenses were require but no debts that resulted from gambling could be enforced through the legal system. However, since the inception of the National Lottery sports betting is now completely legal in the UK, and along with being an actual contributor to the overall economy is considered a valid business, and as such, all debts incurred from gambling can be enforced through British law.

Bookmaking, or sports betting, is legal almost everywhere except in the United States, with the exception of Nevada and a couple of other states where it is highly regulated. Singapore, Sweden, Canada and Hong Kong all use bookmakers who are state-owned and operated. Canada’s state-ran system is known as Sport Select, and is part of the official lottery programme. In the UK legal bookmakers are members of IBAS, or Independent Betting Adjudication Service, which was initially founded in 1998 as a third-party organization to settle disputes between gambling establishments and customers in the UK. The advent of the internet has allowed sports betting to expand on a global basis, making it difficult for countries who have policies against sports betting to regulate the activities. 

Mar 14 2010