"Online Casino Gambling May
Become Legal in US"
As the massive success of the online
gambling industry becomes increasingly difficult to ignore,
rumors about online gambling finally becoming legal on U.S.
soil are beginning to surface. Underpinning these rumors
are recent efforts by three states to pass legislation that
would legalize gambling within their borders.
Up until now, Internet gambling
companies have had to establish themselves outside of the
U.S. in countries where they have not been banned. The
U.S. continues to fight the industry claiming that the
federal Wire Act of 1961 prohibits gambling over the Internet.
This Act has its limitations, however, as it originally
targeted sports gambling over phone lines and does not
specifically cover online casino games. Even though lawmakers
in the U.S. have been trying for years to update the Act,
it still doesn’t specifically address
Internet gambling.
The illegal status of online gambling
may soon be changing though, as more and more states begin
to realize the tremendous revenues that the online casinos
could generate. Jim Kasper, North Dakota’s state
representative recently pointed out that Internet gambling
could provide an excellent source of revenue and reduce
or even eliminate the need to raise taxes. Kasper has even
introduced legislation that would allow Internet gambling
in his state. The legislation has already passed the house.
Another assault on the U.S. anti
online gambling stance is the U.K.’s probable decision
to allow its land-based casinos to accept online wagers
from American players.
Clearly, as online gambling becomes more mainstream and
sees greater acceptance in countries that had previously
been staunch critics of the industry, it will become ever
more difficult for the U.S. not to follow suit.
Back to Online Gambling News Home
|