Is online gambling legal in Micronesia?

Legal overview

The Federated States of Micronesia has no national law that licenses online gambling, and gambling is dealt with mainly at state level. The Chuuk State Code (Title 12, Chapter 28, 'Prohibition on Certain Forms of Vice', as published in the draft compilation on the FSM Legal Information System) bans gaming and gambling anywhere in Chuuk, on land, in state waters and in its airspace. Its definition covers poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, bingo and slot machines, and gaming devices used remotely or directly. Operating or permitting gambling is a felony punishable by up to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of up to USD 100,000, and playing is itself a misdemeanour carrying up to one year in jail and a fine of up to USD 5,000. Only social games in private homes where nobody profits, and one cross-referenced exception that could not be traced, fall outside the ban.

Pohnpei State's code (Title 70, Regulated Activities) prohibits the business of commercial gambling and the import or sale of commercial gambling devices, punishable as a misdemeanour with up to one year in prison and a fine of up to USD 1,000. Bingo is excluded and may run at set hours, under-18s may not enter bingo areas, and juveniles may not gamble for money or property. The codes of Kosrae and Yap were not reviewed for this page.

None of these laws mentions the internet, and there is no licence for online casinos, poker or sports betting anywhere in the federation. Because Chuuk and Pohnpei together hold most of the population, online casino gambling is treated here as prohibited, even though enforcement against offshore sites is not documented. Players who use foreign sites have no local regulator or complaint route.