As it stands nowadays, individual states are free to prohibit or practice gambling within their borders while significant regulations and limits are placed on interstate which activity. Recently, online video games has seen harsher restrictions. With the Unlawful Web Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIEGA), it had been not explicitly banned but rather it was online financial transactions which were outlawed. This meant that online financial dealings from gambling service providers were now illegal which resulted in countless offshore gambling operators excluding US customers from their services.

Existing in this legitimate grey area, it is no more a dilemma of if online gambling will enter in the US market but when and perhaps how. As recently as this month, three says contain legalized online gambling and plan to begin offering bets by the end of the year. Naturally, Teratai888 gaming company in Las Vegas known as Ultimate Gaming was the first ever to offer online poker but for now restricting it to sole players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware have also legalized online gambling therefore far ten other states are considering legalizing it in a few form or another.

Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gambling Association has explained that “Unless there is a federal bill passed, we will have the greatest expansion of legalized gambling in america. I don’t believe that’s what anyone intended, nonetheless it is what we’re discovering.” This poses plenty of questions not to mention concerns for most existing commercial casinos in addition to American policy makers. Will legitimate online gambling mean fewer individuals in offline casinos? Will this develop a new source of revenue at hawaii and national level? What about taxes and regulations? A rise in gamblers?

Many people including Arnie Wexler, former chairman of New Jersey’s Council On Compulsive Gambling provides voiced concern that with the good this could do to create income and revenue for individual states there may be problems with a rise in compulsive gambling. There’s particular concern regarding social media in america as some areas like Zynga have previously begun taking real-money bets.

Taking in mind all the questions and concerns, many resort casinos are already making ideas to broaden into online gambling to complement their real casinos. Geoffrey Stewart, general manager of Caesars Online Poker has said “Like any business, you’re always looking for what is the next distribution channel.”