Legislation

-

A recent development in the United States sees the prohibition of Internet gambling shifting closer. Both houses in the US congress gave their backing to bills proposing a ban on the industry. A competing bill has been introduced that proposes setting up a committee to regulate, not ban, online gambling.

What does this mean? Well, no sites are operating in any way illegally as the US has yet to pass any resolution banning sites accepting payments from US citizens. Nevertheless, there is a definite shift in market focus to the UK and Europe where deregulation is on the cards. Many land-based casinos are setting up interactive divisions that run off offshore servers. This is positive for the industry, as it denotes a consolidation of credible operators and a gradual weeding out of the few rogue operators that give the industry a bad name.

The proposed legislation in the US has not targeted the casual player gambling from their home, but rather the individual casino operators who accept real money wagers. Despite efforts to ban it, online gambling has become a multi-billion dollar industry that is here to stay.

For more information on the legal issues concerning online gambling, we recommend visiting the following sites: Internet Gaming Commission http://www.internetcommission.com, Gambling and the Law http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com.