As it stands right now, individual states are free to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant rules and limits are put on interstate which activity. Recently, online video games has seen harsher rules. With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it had been not explicitly banned but instead it was online financial transactions that were outlawed. This meant that all online financial dealings from gambling service providers were now illegal which resulted in countless offshore gambling operators excluding US buyers from their services.
Existing in this legitimate grey area, it is no more a problem of if online gambling will enter the US market but when as well as perhaps how. As lately as this month, three states include legalized online gambling and intend to begin offering bets by the finish of the 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 only players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware have also legalized online gambling therefore far ten other states are thinking about legalizing it in some form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association has said that “Unless there is a federal bill passed, we will have the best expansion of legalized gambling in america. I don’t think that’s what anyone intended, but it is what we’re seeing.” This poses lots of questions not to mention concerns for most existing commercial casinos and American policy makers. Will legal online gambling mean fewer people in brick and mortar casinos? Will this create a new source of revenue at the state and national level? Think about taxes and regulations? An increase in gamblers?
Pragma123 including Arnie Wexler, previous chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling has got voiced concern that with all the good this could do to create income and revenue for individual states there could be problems with an increase in compulsive gambling. There is particular concern regarding social media in the US as some areas like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind the questions and concerns, many resort casinos are already making programs to broaden into online gambling to check their actual physical casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general office manager of Caesars INTERNET POKER has said “Like any business, you’re always searching for what is the next distribution channel.”