Online Gaming Under Pressure

Online gaming has experienced a boom in popularity over the past few years. At the forefront of this trend seems to be the increased exposure of gambling which is probably why online gaming has come under the scrutiny of lawmakers. Online Gambling is illegal in the United States and continues to come under fire from the authorities. These laws are increasingly restrictive and, as bingostreet.com says, “the USA is under fire from all quarters of the globe for due to its prohibitive online gambling policy” (“U.S. Elections Delay Gambling Bill,” October 1, 2008). Congressman Goodlatte is spearheading the campaign against online gambling, saying that it threatens America’s youth. He bases his opposition to online gambling on the Wire Act, which prohibits gambling across telephone wires. However, this Act was enacted before the introduction of the internet, so theoretically, the law needs to be adapted to take into account the new technology supporting gambling.

There is also huge domestic opposition to such restrictions. For his part, Democrat Barney Frank recently attempted to pass legislation that lifted restrictions on online bingo, casino poker and sports books websites. Keeping online gambling illegal therefore meant the powers that be turned instead to leaning on banks to refuse payments to such sites. This, says Congressman Frank, places undue burden on a financial sector that has far greater problems to contend with at the moment. Widespread support, however, is as yet, none forthcoming. The $12 billion industry has yet to mobilize the kind of support that it requires to turn the tide of regulation. Further issues with regulating the online gaming industry are those of clarity. With the passage of several bills outlining the legality and definition of online gambling, many banks flooded the Treasury and Federal Reserve with protest letters, saying that the guidelines are too vague, even after attempts to clarify earlier restrictions were recently made.

By: Stebee-16825

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With the current economic crisis, this issue is being relegated to the back shelf. However, with increasing numbers of people playing online games, the issue will no doubt arise again sooner than later. If you are an American citizen worried about the legality of playing online games, visit Mecca Games, where you can legally enjoy the most popular online casino games, for free.