Online Gambling Update from the United States

November 05, 2011 | News Category: Gaming Law

0 Comments

Online casino players in the United States have been hoping that the federal authorities will legalize and regulate online gambling in the US. Although online casino gambling is not the main issue being dealt with at the moment, and online poker seems to be more of the focus, it is likely that any advances in the online gambling world will have an impact on other forms of online gambling.

At this time, the AGA (American Gambling Association) has been working hard at lobbying congress in the hopes of having online poker regulated and legalized on a state by state basis rather than on a federal level. The idea is to allow each state to decide whether they wish to legalize this form of online gambling or not, and to have federal guidelines for those who do choose to regulate and legalize it.

The AGA is essentially suggesting that online poker be dealt with in the same way that land based casinos are dealt with in the United States, in that some states have land based casinos, and others have made it illegal. The AGA has suggested a number of guidelines that could be followed should congress agree to go this route.

The AGA's Chief Executive, Frank Fahrenkopf, and other AGA representatives issued a statement after a hearing took place. The statement noted: "The subcommittee today heard clear evidence that millions of U.S. residents who play online are being put at risk because they are playing illegally with companies that are poorly regulated and, in the vast majority of the cases, outside the reach of US law enforcement. The only way to protect US consumers and ensure that minors aren't gambling on the Internet is to allow the states to license and regulate the online poker."

The statement continued to explain that testimony was heard at the hearing that there is new technology that is available and being used in other jurisdictions that have legalized and regulated online gambling, that would help to prevent underage players from taking part in online gambling and that other "illegal activities, such as money laundering and fraud" could be prevented using this new technology.

There is hope in the online casino world that if congress does accept the change, that even though online poker may be legalized because it is a game of skill, and not only of luck, that other online casino games may also be considered in the future.