Is Betting on Cockfighting Allowed in the US?
Read Time:2 Minute, 22 Second
There is a strong tradition of cockfighting in the U.S., and it goes back for centuries. It involves confining two specially bred birds called gamecocks in a small pit. They fight until one bird kills the other, or they both die. The primary purpose is entertainment and gambling.
Today, cockfights are no longer legal in a single state, and many states consider it a felony. According to the Animal Welfare Act, it is a federal crime. However, making it illegal hasn’t rooted out the practice, and cockfights continue, especially in states with weak penalties.
Cockfight Gambling is illegal
Today, online gambling using a sports betting app and a mobile phone is legal in many states, but sportsbooks aren’t offering any odds on cockfighting. People enjoy placing bets on games like football and basketball. Betting on cockfighting isn’t legal or worth the risk.
The last state to make cockfighting illegal was Louisiana in 2007. Gambling was always the norm at cockfights, and thousands of dollars could exchange hands as spectators bet on the fate of the birds.
Penalties related to cock fighting
The severity of punishment for offenses related to cockfighting may vary from state to state. For example, Alabama may issue a fine of $50 for holding a fight, whereas a spectator in another state may get a year in prison for attending a cockfight. A spectator who brings a child under the age of 16 to a cockfight may end up in jail for three years.
Even owning a bird for cockfighting is prohibited in some states. There are penalties associated with buying, possessing, selling, training, and transporting these birds across state lines for fighting purposes. In 29 states, it is illegal to possess any fighting paraphernalia.
Cockfights result in criminal activities
There are many other crimes associated with cockfighting, such as drug dealing, the use of illegal weapons, and alcohol-related incidents. Cockfighting may be illegal, but many cockfighting birds are still being bred. The breeding has just gone underground, and the focus is on international cockfighting in places like Mexico and Vietnam.
Animal crueltyÂ
Â
With the growth of the betting market in the US, citizens now have many legal ways to bet, so they don’t have to wager illegally. Cockfighting is illegal in most places in the world where gambling is legal. There is much more awareness surrounding animal cruelty today.
Many animal rights groups are totally against cockfighting as the birds are bred to be aggressive and may have metal spurs strapped to their legs. The conditions in which they live are often inhumane. By passing strong laws against animal fighting, federal and state lawmakers are hoping it will come to an end. Cockfighting may have a long tradition in the U.S., but most Americans feel it no longer has a place in society.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
