Internet Gambling Thrives In Spite Of US Legislation
A month after President Bush signed into law the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the national advocacy group known as Americas Watchdog initiated its own investigation to determine how effective the new legislation had been.
Americas Watchdog discovered the new legislation has had little effect with Online Casinos. With the exception of one indictment, its been business as usual, or the off-shore online casinos have invented new schemes to circumvent the new US laws.
After the 2006 legislation was signed by the President; many casinos in England or other countries moved their online gaming/casino web sites off shore, and created or fortified business-banking relationships with German banks or other financial institutions that began to, or continued to openly assist in wire transfers of US bets or gambling proceeds to and from the internet casinos (money laundering).
In one specific case, a German Bank wiring gambling proceeds & writing checks is owned by one of the worlds largest financial institutions, and in another case a German-based internet payment service openly talked about "laundering money for thousands of US clients".
According to Americas Watchdog, the number of US gamblers using Online Casinos is probably in the millions, involving all ages, genders and races.
In one instance, an offshore casino operator openly boasted about the fact that his casino was "clean" compared to online casinos operated or run by the "Russian Mafia".
The same operator made the statement that his casino had four US players lose $500,000+ each in December of 2006.
What does all this mean for US citizens? According to Americas Watchdog, "this situation is very, serious and nothing will change unless the US decides to make it legal for individual states like Nevada or Native American Tribal Nations to permit US Citizens to play on line, in a regulated and controlled environment".
Its a war-prohibition that will never succeed unless we change the tactics and regulate the environment.
As importantly, legal US Online Casinos would bring in most international players, because these individuals would see it as safe and a transparent way to gamble on line. Who wants to gamble on line with organized crime?
The American Gaming Association is on record as saying the new Internet Gaming Legislation is "confusing".
Americas Watchdog believes that the American Gaming Association or affiliated Associations should begin to lobby Congress & the Bush Administration for immediate amendments to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that will allow for licensed US Casinos to be able to offer their services to US Citizens or International players. This would have three positive affects.
1. US Citizens who go online to US licensed casinos would get a regulated gaming or casino environment. A regulated environment is not offered by existing offshore casinos or sports books. The offshore gaming industry would effectively be out of business losing the bulk of even their European or Asian clients to the US.
2. Off shore-Internet Gambling is a multi billion dollar a year business. Why not tax it and control it? Further by taxing & regulating the US online casinos and effectively shutting down off-shore gaming, US law enforcement could pursue other criminal activities because this particular issue would no longer be a major problem, provided US banks actually comply with anticipated federal banking regulations.
This change would also put most illegal US bookmakers out of business because US consumers could actually place a legal wager on a sporting event, or other gambling activity with a licensed US casino/sports Book. Illegal bookmaking-sportsbook in the US is also a multi billion dollar a year business.
Why not tax & regulate this activity?
3. The entry of licensed US casinos into online gaming would effectively shut down or cripple all offshore gaming web sites. This could create thousands of new tax paying jobs in the US. Why support some other countries economy, when the US should be able to control & regulate its own?
The United States has a poor at best record on prohibitions. From alcohol in the 1930's to its current 'war on drugs'. The new US legislation will not stop offshore online casinos or gambling. Why not create a sensible regulated environment that will be a win for US Citizens, and for the US Government and individual State Governments that can control the activity, and tax it?
