A Change in USA Discourse?

Out with UIGEA and in with IGREA. Or not so fast. The notorious Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of last year is now being replaced by the new initials on the block, which stand for Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007. The legislation introduced late last week by Rep. Barney Frank (D.-Massachusetts) tries to return online gambling to the United States. Will it? Well see.

So far, it must be said off the bat, nothing has changed. The act has yet to pass, and if it remains as it currently looks, it might not be the most positive thing to have happened to online gambling after all, although clearly better that its predecessor, the online casino ban. Criticism at this point in time states that the standards for return online casinos are quite stringent, with licensing, taxation and background checks aplenty. It is also expected to make it more difficult for smaller, start-up companies, as opposed to larger gaming institutions, possibly favoring the land based companies.

A key element in legalizing online gambling in the US will be the ability to keep under-age gamblers away from the sites. The operators will be those that will carry this burden, naturally. In addition, the operators will have to set up ant-fraud mechanisms and disassociate themselves from money laundering activities that take place under their watch. Clearly these are heavy burdens, complicated tasks and costly operations. It begs the question who is it that can enter the field this time around? Who will benefit from it all and what will online betting even look like when this all takes place? Alright, maybe a complete repeal of the UIGEA of 2006 was too much to expect, but time will show whether the new online gaming world if and when it returns will even look remotely like the one we love and are fighting back for.