"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.