Will Online Gambling Return to American After the Election?
When it comes to online gambling, the last two decades were nothing but a sequence of ups and downs. Internet casinos first appeared in the mid-1990s and took the world by storm. There were few land-based gambling destinations. However, the internet has brought gambling to the masses. This has turned gambling from a pastime for the rich into a form of entertainment available to anyone.
Gambling was prevalent in the US until the mid-2000s. The US decided it was time to put an end to gambling. In 2006, it introduced the UIGEA, blocking banks from transferring funds to and from gambling companies. This effectively banned the industry from operating in the US. There were a few offshore operations that continued in the meantime. Then in 2011 there was a decision by the Department of Justice that brought internet gambling back into focus. It allowed states to decide for themselves whether they wanted to regulate the online gambling. However, only three states acted on their newfound freedom. Furthermore only a handful of others even debated the question.
Online gambling in Europe
Europe is the birthplace of online gambling. The first online casino was launched by a British company called Microgaming. Operators are free to offer their services to players based on a licences obtained from gambling authorities across jurisdictions. Juristictions include Malta, Gibraltar, Alderney. Some countries, like the UK or Romania require operators to apply for a special country-specific licence.
Players are free to play any licensed online gambling operator offered in their country. They are free to visit, register an account, make a deposit, and play any game they like. The casinos compete for their favour. This may be through new player offerings of bonuses and money off.
The EU has decided to regulate online gambling with a safe and clear legal framework, protecting players, and generating considerable tax revenues in the process.
Will online gambling return to the US?
The matter was discussed a lot at the end of last year, but most such discussions came to a halt at the beginning of this one. It was an election year, after all, and rattling the cage with such a controversial subject probably seemed a bit too risky for both major parties. Once the election is over, and we’ll finally see which candidate will occupy the White House (and shape the policies of the countries for years to come), we’ll see whether the question of internet gambling will return to the table, or it will be forgotten for further years.
