AGA Says Online US Gambling Will Be Legalized

American Gaming Association executive Frank Fahrenkopf, Jnr told the press last week during the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas that his organization gave up hopes for the federal legalization of online poker this year.

Fahrenkopf said:”It’s no longer a matter of if online gambling will be legalized in the US, but when, where and how.” The gambling professional also warned that time was running the present initiatives to be passed in Congress.

Fahrenkopf emphasized that billions of dollars are at stake, describing online poker as “the next frontier of our business.” The AGA top man also warned that foreign-operated and hosted online betting sites are possibly the greatest threats to the American internet casino industry.

The former Republican party national chairman commented on the chances of the Reid-Kyl bill saying: “We will need plenty of hard work and a little gambler’s luck to see a federal bill pass this year,” also adding that nothing was going to happen before the election.

Fahrenkopf estimated that around $35 billion is being wagered worldwide online every year. About 85 countries have already legalized online gambling to a certain extent. The AGA chief added:”These are numbers generated with only minor participation by players in the US”. At the same time he agreed that the current legislation does not keep all US players away from betting on foreign servers.

The AGA executive promised that his association would continue lobbying the US Congress for legal possibilities to play online poker in USA.

AGA emphasized that centrally made federal American gambling laws are preferable over different regulations in each US state, calling the latter “a patchwork of rules and regulations will make oversight difficult and put customers at risk.”

Fahrenkopf added: “No matter what Congress does, based on the growth trends … and the actions of the various states, it’s no longer a matter of if online gambling will be legalized in the U.S., but when, where and how.”