Submission Title
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
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
Funding Sources
no funding
Competing Interests
no competition
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.