Land-Based Companies Waiting in the Wings

April 23, 2009 | News Category: Gaming Law

0 Comments Online casinos have not been welcome in the United States for quite some time now. The UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) has prevented many online casinos from opening for business in the United States, and has chased away many that were already operating in the US. One of the last big international corporations, the well-known online casino software company, Microgaming, was one of the last to take all their casinos away from the US. Perhaps they will return along with other online casino companies.

The United States and foreign gambling operators are all waiting for the much anticipated change that is expected as far as Internet gambling is concerned. There are indications that US land-based casino operators are interested in opening their own online casinos when the laws regarding online gambling change.

In France, some of the top land-based casinos have now joined the European Internet casino market. It is expected that US land-based casinos will follow suit.

Las Vegas casinos have been suffering for some time as the current economy is affecting the number of players who are prepared to go through the expense of traveling to land-based casinos. Revenue is down and many believe that many of the land-based casinos can only be saved by offering their casinos online.

Harrah's, the well known land-based casino operator, is planning to lead the pack and start a new company for Internet casinos. In the hope that the law will change soon, they have already started to design an online casino website.

Along with Harrah's, there are other land-based casino operators that have plans to join the online casino world and are hoping to secure licenses to open online casinos. These include Las Vegas Sands, MGM Mirage and others.

The European Union is also hoping to move into the US online gambling market if and when the law changes. The EU has had issues with the UIGEA since it affects the possibility of free trade with the European market. The EU is hoping that the US casino market will be opened up to both international online casinos and internationally owned land-based casinos when the laws do change.

Although it seems fairly certain that the US online casino market is going to have many changes, it is somewhat uncertain exactly when and how it will change. What is sure is that the land-based casino companies are simply waiting in the wings for their online opening act.

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