Smoking, Online Casinos, and the UIGEA

January 19, 2011 | Article Category: Online Casinos

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While much has been said about smoking bans in land based casinos, there are still many land based casinos that do allow smoking at their venues, including on the casino floor.

Of course, for those who are smokers themselves, there is a good chance that they will choose to play in a casino that allows smoking, and for those who are non-smokers, they will either choose to play in a land based casino that has banned smoking, or they will play in one of the many exciting online casinos that are available.

However, for those living in the United States, it is getting more and more difficult to play in online casinos since the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) has made it illegal for financial institutions to process online gambling transactions. There are those who have managed to find a way to deposit and withdraw their funds, but for those who have been unable to do so, they may well wish to return to land based casinos for their gambling leisure time.

Once a player has been playing in the comfort of their own home, on their own terms, it may be difficult and frustrating to return to land based casinos. One reason for this is that if the nearest land based casinos to them are casinos that allow smoking, there are a number of reasons for both smokers, and non-smokers to stay away.

In land based casinos that allow smoking, there are usually a rather large number of patrons who smoke a lot while they are gambling. The dangers of second hand smoke inhalation for other patrons, whether they are smokers themselves or not, and for those that work in the casinos, can be damaging to the health. This is, of course, a bigger problem for casino employees, but it can also be a problem for those who choose to frequent the casino on a regular basis.

Even those who smoke themselves may not wish to be playing in a smoke-filled room. Studies have shown that second hand smoke causes a number of deaths each year.

There are many reasons why online casinos that land based casino players choose to switch to playing online, and the choice of a smoking, or a smoke-free environment is certainly one of them.

For those in the United States who are having their online casino choices made narrower all the time because of the UIGEA, and may find that the only choice they have is to return to land based casinos, the effects of second hand smoke on their health is certainly a reason that they would wish to continue playing at online casinos. All these players can do is lobby their Congressmen, and hope that online casinos will soon be regulated and legalized.