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Online Casinos Gain Support in U.S. and European Union
The beauty of the Internet is that it frees us from the constraints of our physical location. These days, you can shop at almost any store, order your groceries, go to work or even play Seven Card Stud with other players from around the world, all from your couch. So it’s somewhat ironic that the latest buzz in online casinos is all about location.
Although it is currently illegal to run an online casino from U.S. soil, there has been a recent groundswell of public and legal opinion that could reverse that policy. Online casino companies have been forced to set up their operations outside of the U.S. thanks to the Federal Wire Act of 1961, which bans use of telephones to place sports bets. U.S. lawmakers have been pushing for a decade to modernize the law, which can be interpreted in several ways and was obviously not written to apply to online casinos directly.
Thus far, the anti-online casino lobby has been able to keep online casino operations off of U.S. soil, but with a huge community of players, generating millions of dollars in revenue each year, it seems as though it will only be a matter of time before online casinos are legalized. Because the rapidly expanding online casino industry has been kept out of the US it has been forced to operate out of countries that allow this type of online commerce.
Currently, several states, including North Dakota and Nevada, are at the forefront of the movement to legalize online casinos. North Dakota state Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo has argued that the Federal Wire Act does not specifically deal with online casinos and has introduced legislation that would allow Internet poker sites to operate from North Dakota. Online casinos are attractive to many states as a potential source of cash revenues and could add millions of tax dollars to tight state budgets.
Internationally, countries are expanding the scope of online casinos all the time. In the United Kingdom a law is currently in the process of being passed that will allow land-based casinos to accept online bets from American players. This new British law will permit 137 land-based gaming operations to take online wagers from American gamblers. Faced with the prospect of a large influx of online casino-based revenue even countries that have been anti-online casino in the past are beginning to change regulations and pass laws allowing online play.
The European Union has just launched their first EU-licensed gaming site. Called EUVegas, it provides players with sophisticated software that offers online gamblers all the excitement and thrill of a trip to Las Vegas. Despite its homage to American gambling culture and Las Vegas, the site remains distinctly European. All transactions are made in Euros and the casino offers a fantastic selection of games including classics like European Roulette, Aces and Faces Multiline, Blackjack, Baccarat, Deuces Wild and Deuces Wild Multiline. New favorites like Summer Party 5 Reel Slot, Japan 3 Reel Slot, Space Invaders 5 Reel Slot, Chinatown Slot 3 Reel Slot and MegaJack Videopoker are also available.
Based in Malta, which is now a member of the European Union, EUVegas has impeccable fair gaming policies. The outcomes of all games are determined by superior random number generator software and the software is monitored at all times, in compliance with Maltese gaming laws. As the first online casino in Europe, EUVegas provides players with excellent safety and security for their online play, as the gaming laws in Malta are strict, comprehensive and well respected.
Combined with the pending legislation in the United Kingdom, online gaming in Europe is a rapidly expanding trend. Europe is home to some of the most exclusive casinos in the world and European attitudes seem to be changing in favor of online casinos. It is quite possible that with these changes, the EU may soon offer a while new level of online gaming to players.
While the United States and the European Union make moves to expand online gaming, a worldwide lobby is attempting to have Internet gaming declared illegal throughout the Caribbean, which is currently a haven for online casinos. Gibraltar, Malta and several other small countries across the world also allow online gaming industries.
Caribbean countries are fighting to keep hosting online casino operations. International pressure through the World Trade Organization has been applied to Caribbean-based online casinos, threatening to shut down the industry throughout the entire region. An international ruling will soon determine whether or not Antigua and Barbuda will be able to continue running online casinos.
Although the WTO continues advance the cause of heavier regulations for online casinos in the Caribbean, it has ruled in favor of the online gaming industry in the past. Last year, the disputes panel found that U.S. financial regulations, which prevented transactions between American financial institutions and Antiguan-based online casinos, were in violation of American obligations to the WTO.
Throughout the dispute, Antiguan representatives have consistently defended Antiguan online casino operators’ right to access the American market. Mexico and other Caribbean nations have shown Antigua and Barbuda support as well.
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