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 which activity. Recently, online video gaming has seen harsher restrictions. With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but instead it was online financial transactions that were outlawed. This meant that all online financial transactions from gambling service providers were now illegal which led to many offshore gambling operators excluding US consumers from their services.
Existing in this lawful grey area, it is no more a issue of if online gambling will go into the US market but when as well as perhaps how. As just lately as this month, three claims have legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the end of this year. Naturally, a gaming company in Las Vegas referred to as Ultimate Gaming was the first to offer online poker but for now restricting it to sole players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware have also 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 gaming Association has said 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, nonetheless it is what we’re witnessing.” Dolar508 This poses plenty of questions and of course concerns for most existing commercial casinos and American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer folks 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 create income and revenue for unique states there may be problems with an increase in compulsive gambling. There is particular concern regarding social media in america as some spots like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many resort casinos are already making programs to broaden into online gambling to check their physical casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general supervisor of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any other business, you’re always searching for what is the next distribution channel.”