As it stands nowadays, individual states are absolve to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant rules and limits are put on interstate and this activity. In recent years, online game playing has seen harsher rules. With the Unlawful Web 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 service providers were now illegal which led to various offshore gambling operators excluding US customers from their services.
Existing in this legal grey area, it is no more a dilemma of if online gambling will enter into the US market but when as well as perhaps how. As just lately as this month, three says possess legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the end of this year. Naturally, a gaming company in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first to offer online poker but for now restricting it to only players in Nevada. AKSLOT NJ and Delaware have also legalized online gambling and so far ten other states are thinking about legalizing it in a few form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Video gaming Association has stated that “Unless there is a federal bill passed, we are going to 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 finding.” This poses many questions not to mention concerns for many existing commercial casinos as well as American policy makers. Will lawful online gambling mean fewer folks in brick and mortar casinos? Will this create a new source of revenue at the state and national level? What about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?
Lots of people including Arnie Wexler, ex – chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling has voiced concern that with all the current good this could do to create income and revenue for personal states there could be problems with a rise in compulsive gambling. There’s particular concern regarding social media marketing 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 plans to increase into online gambling to check their actual casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general office manager of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any business, you’re always searching for what is another distribution channel.”