As it stands today, individual states are absolve to prohibit or practice gambling of their borders while significant restrictions and limits are placed on interstate and this activity. In recent years, online gaming has seen harsher regulations. With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but instead it was online financial transactions that were outlawed. This meant that online financial dealings from gambling service providers were now illegal which led to numerous offshore gambling operators excluding US consumers from their services.
Existing in this lawful grey area, it is no more a issue of if online gambling will enter into the US market but when and perhaps how. As lately as this month, three states include legalized online gambling and intend to begin offering bets by the end of the year. Naturally, a gaming organization in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first ever to offer online poker but for now restricting it to only players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware also have legalized online gambling and so far ten other states are considering legalizing it in some form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Game playing Association has stated that “Unless you will find a federal bill passed, we will have the best expansion of legalized gambling in the United States. I don’t believe that’s what anyone intended, nonetheless it is what we’re experiencing.” This poses a great deal of questions and of course concerns for many existing commercial casinos in addition to American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer persons in brick and mortar casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at the state and national level? Think about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?
Lots of people including Arnie Wexler, former chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling features voiced concern that with all the good this could do to generate income and revenue for unique states there may be problems with an increase in compulsive gambling. There is betwing88 regarding social media in the US as some areas like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many resort casinos are already making ideas to develop into online gambling to check their actual physical casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general supervisor of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any business, you’re always looking for what is the next distribution channel.”