CASINO 666

As European Union Member countries are now all ordered to open their markets to online gambling operators, this opens up massive potential for operators. A EU Court ruling has taken place ordering Germany to follow this rule, and we have already seen the French gambling market de-regulate. Big UK facing operators are already going into both France and Austria and despite the massive player bases in EU countries, we are sure to be seeing some operators looking towards the US with envious eyes.

The US gambling market is potentially mind-boggling in size. It would probably be difficult to estimate just how huge this marketplace could be. This country closed up shop for many online gambling operations in 2006 when they implemented the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which in fact is a law which prejudices financial institutions to process online payments for gambling activities. When UIGEA was implemented many of the smaller operations went out of business as a war of attrition took place with large operations swallowing them up. These large operations had better opportunities to take their business to the UK, and license them offshore in Malta, Gibraltar and Alderney.

While Europe open is exciting enough, the prospect of online gambling once again being allowed in the US is newer and even more exciting. Large online casino gambling operations are well established and it would be a negligible cost for them to enter back into US sales. For years players, operators and politicians have been attempting to get UIGEA repealed, and recent lobbying seems to be finally getting somewhere.

In recent times more important issues such as the small matters of healthcare and Iraq have taken the spotlight off Congress’ possibility of legalizing online gambling again. These two important issues seem to have been successfully dealt with and now the US Federal Government is able to look at a new bill which could have the effect of legalizing gambling online which is obviously good news for all concerned.

Being the land of the brave and the home of the free, the US citizen may soon be allowed to gamble legally online again. There is even talk about how any operator jumping the gun will be penalized when and if the new laws come into effect; so don’t go getting any big ideas yet. Recently Sportingbet Plc was compelled to pay a fine amounting to $33 million with regards to illegal operations and an agreement reached with the US Department of Justice not to prosecute.

Obviously there will be casino operators who are looking to enter this market early, however it has been suggested that entering into a JV with an establish US operator, would be the best route to take at this juncture. Potentially the US is the largest online gambling market the world will ever see. Even though these activities are prohibited by UIGEA, billions of dollars still change hand annually for gambling activities. Just think Las Vegas in every town in the USA and this is the kind of potential online gambling has in this country.