Nevada Legalizes Online Gambling
Nevada made history on February 21 by becoming the first state in the US to legalize ‘interactive gaming’ in a record seven hours via Assembly Bill 114 (AB114). Although all casino gaming has now been legalized in the state, they want to focus solely on online poker for now.
After a publicized letter in 2011, stating that the Federal Wire Act 1961 – used to crack down on internet gambling – only applied to sports betting, a myriad of states started looking into obtaining an online gambling license despite having Federal legalization of online gaming denied earlier in the year.
Nevada’s competitors – New Jersey – were pipped to the post as the first state, although they recently legalized all online gambling throughout their state. It may be seen that Nevada is now at a disadvantage because of this; however, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval replied to naysayers by reiterating that they have the most mature regulatory infrastructure to cope with the influx of customers. His infamous quote stating that New Jersey should now be used to following in Nevada’s footsteps certainly made a few headlines.
Chairman of the Nevada gaming commission, AG Burnett, stated that they have already had around 20 applications for online gambling licenses from various software and equipment vendors, meaning the potential revenue is already being recognised.
There are many within the House of Representatives and the Senate which are still against Federal legalised gambling because of the ‘inherent social issues it could cause’, although many brands offer candid and straight forward information on responsible gaming.
Nevada’s gambling regulators are still drawing up parameters for compacts with other states to increase the reach of their customer base, although New Jersey’s Director of the Division of Gambling Enforcement – David Redbuck – has briefly outlined the state’s intentions, saying: “We are developing convincing and clear standards for the operators and online bettors to protect against fraud, and have risk mitigation standards built in.”
What are your thoughts on the legalization of online gambling?
Note: If you or someone you know is a compulsive gambler, there are a few free resources available in Las Vegas.
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