As it stands today, individual states are absolve to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant restrictions and limits are placed on interstate which activity. Recently, online video gaming has seen harsher restrictions. With the Unlawful Web Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it had been not explicitly banned but rather it had been online financial transactions that were outlawed. spbo meant that all online financial transactions from gambling providers were now illegal which resulted in numerous offshore gambling operators excluding US buyers from their services.
Existing in this legitimate grey area, it is no more a problem of if online gambling will enter into the US market but when as well as perhaps how. As just lately as this month, three claims include legalized online gambling and intend to begin offering bets by the end of the year. Naturally, a gaming organization in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first to offer online poker but also for now restricting it to only players in Nevada. NJ and Delaware have also legalized online gambling and so far ten other states are considering legalizing it in a few form or another.
Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gambling Association has said that “Unless there is 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, but it is what we’re witnessing.” This poses many questions not to mention concerns for most existing commercial casinos as well as American policy makers. Will lawful online gambling mean fewer people in brick and mortar casinos? Will this create a new source of revenue at hawaii and national level? Think about taxes and regulations? An increase in gamblers?
Many people including Arnie Wexler, past chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling features voiced concern that with the good this could do to generate income and revenue for particular states there may be problems with a rise in compulsive gambling. There is particular concern regarding social media marketing in america as some areas like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.
Taking in mind the questions and concerns, many hotel casinos are already making plans to expand into online gambling to complement their actual physical casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general manager of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any business, you’re always looking for what is the next distribution channel.”