As it stands nowadays, individual states are free to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant restrictions and limits are put on interstate which activity. Recently, online gaming has seen harsher regulations. With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but rather it had been online financial transactions which were outlawed. This meant that online financial dealings from gambling providers were now illegal which resulted in various offshore gambling operators excluding US consumers from their services.
Existing in this lawful grey area, it is no more a question of if online gambling will go into the united states market but when and perhaps how. As lately as this month, three claims contain 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 also for now restricting it to sole players in Nevada. NJ and Delaware also have legalized online gambling therefore far ten other states are considering legalizing it in some form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Video games Association has mentioned 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 seeing.” OJOL77 poses a lot of questions and of course concerns for many existing commercial casinos as well as American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer individuals in brick and mortar casinos? Will this develop a new way to obtain revenue at the state and national level? What about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?
Many people including Arnie Wexler, ex – 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 is particular concern regarding social media marketing in the US as some spots like Zynga have already begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many resort casinos are already making strategies to extend into online gambling to check their bodily casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general office manager of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any other business, you’re always looking for what is the next distribution channel.”