To place a bet on sports is an age-old tradition in some circles. Betting on sports online? Not so much. The relatively new form of online gambling has only fairly recently come into fruition, bolstered by several offshore operations in Costa Rica, Panama and other countries around the globe.

It’s a lucrative business, but many international betting sites have opted out of given the legality of online sports betting in the United States.  In 2011, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 solely prohibited wager transmissions in conjunction with sports betting, excluding online poker and other online gambling avenues that have recently begun to crop up Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey.

Regardless, many online betting operations still accept U.S. customers should you decide to take the gamble (pun intended) and try to skirt the law in order to bet on sports. Here’s our how-to guide to betting on sports online so you can cash in without ever heading out. What do you have to lose? Besides pretty much everything, that is.

Disclaimer: Online gambling may be legal in some states, but online sports betting is considered illegal under the current provisions of the Interstate Wire Act. We are not endorsing your illegal activities, nor are we recommending them, we are simply explaining how to be on sports online in case you were curious. What you decide to do with information is your own business, not ours. Carry on.