As it stands right now, individual states are free to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant restrictions and limits are placed on interstate and this activity. Recently, online games has seen harsher restrictions. With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but rather it had been online financial transactions that were outlawed. This meant that online financial transactions from gambling providers were now illegal which led to countless offshore gambling operators excluding US customers from their services.
Existing in this legal grey area, it is no longer a issue of if online gambling will go into the united states market but when and perhaps how. As recently as this month, three says contain legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the finish of the year. Naturally, a gaming firm in Las Vegas referred to as Ultimate Gaming was the first ever to offer online poker but for now restricting it to only players in Nevada. Ringbet88 and Delaware also have legalized online gambling and so far ten other states are considering legalizing it in a few form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association has mentioned that “Unless there is 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 viewing.” This poses plenty of questions not to mention concerns for most existing commercial casinos as well as American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer people in offline casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at the state and national level? What about taxes and regulations? An increase in gamblers?
Many people including Arnie Wexler, ex – chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling has got voiced concern that with all the current good this could do to generate income and revenue for unique states there may be problems with an increase in compulsive gambling. There’s particular concern regarding social media in america as some places like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind the questions and concerns, many hotel casinos are already making strategies to extend into online gambling to check their bodily casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general supervisor of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any other business, you’re always looking for what is another distribution channel.”
