As it stands right now, individual states are absolve to prohibit or practice gambling of their borders while significant regulations and limits are put on interstate and this activity. Recently, online video games has seen harsher regulations. With slot online Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but rather it was online financial transactions that were outlawed. This meant that all online financial dealings from gambling providers were now illegal which led to various offshore gambling operators excluding US buyers from their services.
Existing in this legitimate grey area, it is no more a dilemma of if online gambling will key in the united states market but when as well as perhaps how. As recently as this month, three says possess legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the end of this year. Naturally, a gaming organization in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first ever to offer online poker but also 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 Video games Association has stated that “Unless there is a federal bill passed, we are going to have the greatest expansion of legalized gambling in the usa. I don’t think that’s what anyone intended, but it is what we’re witnessing.” This poses plenty of questions and of course concerns for most existing commercial casinos and American policy makers. Will lawful online gambling mean fewer individuals in brick and mortar casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at hawaii and national level? What about taxes and regulations? An increase in gamblers?
Many people including Arnie Wexler, former chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling possesses 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 is particular concern regarding social media in the US as some places like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind the questions and concerns, many hotel casinos are already making plans to develop into online gambling to check their actual casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general supervisor of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any business, you’re always searching for what is another distribution channel.”