Online Gambling In America On a Twisted Path

Many online casinos are looking to grab a piece of the action in America as United States gambling news report. This is due to Department of Justice reversing its statement that Internet gambling is illegal.

However, under American gambling laws, once a go-ahead is given from the federal government, each state must legalize it within its borders. As our previous articles show, various states are either going for it or seeking to banish gambling from their territories.

For example, New Jersey and Nevada are for legalized gambling as casino revenues fill state coffers for decades (take Atlantic City or Las Vegas). On the other hand, many of the Bible Belt states in the south seek to banish the evils of gambling as the local pastors run Sunday anti-betting sermons.

This, by itself, makes it quite hard to do online casino business in America. In addition, the online sports betting is still illegal if taking place interstate. This is due to the Wire Act interpretation. On the other hand, who knows, the justices may eventually rule the Wire Act doesn’t apply to online sportsbooks in USA.

To add to the confusion, there are further issues. Supreme Court can reverse DOJ’s ruling. Or, take state lotteries. Can they sell online lottery tickets and can these be sold in other states as well? What if you’re crossing the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York, can you then place a bet at mobile casinos with your iPhone or Android smartphone?

These are unanswered questions. Perhaps, it doesn’t pay to rush into the market with rules so unclear. Sometimes waiting for competitors to bleed themselves out will pay in the longer term as then a fresh and strong player can enter the market and take out those players who battered themselves out spending money on lawyers to interpret some truly twisted gambling laws.