As it stands right now, individual states are free to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant regulations and limits are put on interstate and this activity. In recent years, online video games has seen harsher regulations. With the Unlawful Web 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 all online financial transactions from gambling service providers were now illegal which led to numerous offshore gambling operators excluding US consumers from their services.
Existing in this legitimate grey area, it is no longer a problem of if online gambling will get into the US market but when and perhaps how. As lately as this month, three claims possess legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the finish of this year. pos4d Naturally, a gaming firm in Las Vegas referred to as Ultimate Gaming was the first to offer online poker but also for now restricting it to only players in Nevada. NJ and Delaware have also 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 Game playing Association has explained that “Unless there exists 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, but it is what we’re discovering.” This poses lots of questions and of course concerns for most existing commercial casinos and American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer men and women in brick and mortar casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at hawaii and national level? What about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?
Lots of people including Arnie Wexler, previous chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling has voiced concern that with all the good this could do to generate income and revenue for unique states there could be problems with a rise in compulsive gambling. There is particular concern regarding social media in america as some places like Zynga have already begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many hotel casinos are already making programs to expand into online gambling to complement their physical casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general manager of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any other business, you’re always searching for what is the next distribution channel.”
