As it stands nowadays, individual states are absolve to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant restrictions and limits are placed on interstate and this activity. Recently, online games has seen harsher regulations. With Slot Gacor Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it was not explicitly banned but instead it was online financial transactions that were outlawed. This meant that online financial transactions from gambling service providers were now illegal which resulted in countless offshore gambling operators excluding US customers from their services.
Existing in this legal grey area, it is no more a question of if online gambling will enter in the US market but when and perhaps how. As recently as this month, three states 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 also for now restricting it to just players in Nevada. NJ and Delaware also have 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 games Association has stated that “Unless you will find a federal bill passed, we are going to have the best expansion of legalized gambling in the usa. I don’t think that’s what anyone intended, but it is what we’re viewing.” This poses a great deal of questions and of course concerns for many existing commercial casinos in addition to American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer men and women 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? An increase in gamblers?
Lots of people including Arnie Wexler, previous chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling has voiced concern that with the good this could do to generate income and revenue for particular states there may be problems with an increase in compulsive gambling. There is particular concern regarding social media in the US as some areas like Zynga have already begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many hotel casinos are already making ideas to develop into online gambling to check their real casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general office manager of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any other business, you’re always searching for what is the next distribution channel.”