Illegal Gambling and Its Operation via the Darknet and Bitcoin: An Application of Routine Activity Theory

Session Title

Session 3-3-C: Policy Impact Discussions

Sinyong ChoiFollow

Presentation Type

Event

Location

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Start Date

30-5-2019 1:45 PM

End Date

30-5-2019 3:10 PM

Disciplines

Criminology

Abstract

The Darknet and Bitcoins have been widely utilized by those who wish to anonymously perform illegal activities in cyberspace. Restricted in many countries, the gambling websites utilizing Bitcoin payments allow online users to freely engage in illegal gambling activities with the absence of a formal capable guardian. Despite the urgency and limited knowledge available to law enforcement regarding this issue, there are a few empirical studies focusing on such illegal gambling websites. The current study attempts to examine the characteristics and the operations of the online gambling websites on both the Darknet and surface web which allow Bitcoin payments. The findings suggest that both websites on the Surface Web and Darknet have similar and distinctive features that attract and encourage online users to engage in extensive illegal gambling activities and potentially other illegal activities as well. The study concludes with policy recommendations to remedy the contemporary issues of online gambling.

This paper empirically explored illegal gambling websites using Darknet and Bitcoin technologies.

Keywords

Bitcoin, Darknet, Cybercrime, Online gambling, Tor

Author Bios

Sinyong Choi is currently a Ph.D. student as well as graduate assistant in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UNLV. His research interests include cyber criminology, cybersecurity, digital investigations, illegal gambling, and quantitative research methods

Funding Sources

no funding

Competing Interests

no competition

Share

COinS
 
May 30th, 1:45 PM May 30th, 3:10 PM

Illegal Gambling and Its Operation via the Darknet and Bitcoin: An Application of Routine Activity Theory

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Darknet and Bitcoins have been widely utilized by those who wish to anonymously perform illegal activities in cyberspace. Restricted in many countries, the gambling websites utilizing Bitcoin payments allow online users to freely engage in illegal gambling activities with the absence of a formal capable guardian. Despite the urgency and limited knowledge available to law enforcement regarding this issue, there are a few empirical studies focusing on such illegal gambling websites. The current study attempts to examine the characteristics and the operations of the online gambling websites on both the Darknet and surface web which allow Bitcoin payments. The findings suggest that both websites on the Surface Web and Darknet have similar and distinctive features that attract and encourage online users to engage in extensive illegal gambling activities and potentially other illegal activities as well. The study concludes with policy recommendations to remedy the contemporary issues of online gambling.

This paper empirically explored illegal gambling websites using Darknet and Bitcoin technologies.