As it stands today, individual states are absolve to prohibit or practice gambling of their borders while significant rules and limits are placed on interstate and this activity. In recent years, online gaming has seen harsher regulations. With the Unlawful Net Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but rather it was online financial transactions which were outlawed. This meant that online financial transactions from gambling providers were now illegal which resulted in several offshore gambling operators excluding US consumers from their services.
Existing in this lawful grey area, it is no more a problem of if online gambling will get into the US market but when as well as perhaps how. As recently as this month, three states possess legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the end of this year. Naturally, a gaming firm in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first ever to offer online poker but for now restricting it to just players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware also have legalized online gambling therefore far ten other states are considering legalizing it in a few form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association has said that “Unless you will find a federal bill passed, we will have the best expansion of legalized gambling in the usa. I don’t believe that’s what anyone intended, but it is what we’re seeing.” This poses a great deal of questions not to mention concerns for many existing commercial casinos as well as American policy makers. Will legal online gambling mean fewer folks in brick and mortar casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at hawaii and national level? Think about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?
loginufa including Arnie Wexler, former chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling has voiced concern that with all the good this could do to create income and revenue for personal states there may be problems with a rise in compulsive gambling. There’s particular concern regarding social media in the US as some spots like Zynga have already begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many hotel casinos are already making strategies to expand into online gambling to complement their bodily casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general supervisor of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any business, you’re always looking for what is another distribution channel.”
