As it stands today, individual states are free to prohibit or practice gambling of their borders while significant regulations and limits are put on interstate which activity. In recent years, online video 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 which were outlawed. This meant that online financial dealings from gambling providers were now illegal which led to numerous offshore gambling operators excluding US consumers from their services.
Existing in this legal grey area, it is no more a question of if online gambling will enter into the united states market but when as well as perhaps how. As just lately as this month, three says own legalized online gambling and intend to begin offering bets by the finish of the year. Naturally, a gaming company in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first ever to offer online poker but also for now restricting it to sole players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware also have legalized online gambling and so far ten other states are thinking about legalizing it in some form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Games Association has stated that “Unless there exists a federal bill passed, we are going to have the greatest 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 many questions not to mention concerns for most existing commercial casinos as well as American policy makers. Will legal online gambling mean fewer individuals in offline casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at the state and national level? AKSLOT What about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?
Many people including Arnie Wexler, former chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling provides voiced concern that with all the current good this could do to generate income and revenue for specific states there may be problems with an increase in compulsive gambling. There’s particular concern regarding social media in the US as some locations like Zynga have already begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many resort casinos are already making plans to broaden into online gambling to complement their actual physical casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general office manager of Caesars INTERNET POKER has said “Like any business, you’re always looking for what is the next distribution channel.”