Legal Gambling in the USA
History and Status of US States
There has been a long held belief that online gambling in the US is illegal – this is a load of baloney – a fallacy. There are three states that offer casino games and poker online. Horse and dog racing can be wagered legally in about thirty states. Why the obfuscation? Why is the American public so misinformed?
Here is the breakdown for poker and casino games that can be played online via a US based licensed casino.
Delaware Online Casinos limited casino games – one casino.
Nevada Online Casinos online poker – yeah!
New Jersey Online Casinos online poker and several casinos are already online here – so far the best assortment of games and casinos in the US.
What is frustrating is that these casinos are only available to persons residing in those states. But time seems to be kind to anything that is initially prohibited yet desired by the constituents. Alchohol, the lottery, land based casinos – forbidden acts of the past have been slowly regulated over time. The problem is that regulation of online gaming is at a snail’s pace – most of the roadblocks that have been erected are based on falacies (click your mouse;lose your house), or in-state quarreling.
What’s Wrong with this Picture?
I’ve been involved with the online gaming industry since 1998, and I can honestly say – as an American – that the US government has been nothing but an embarrassment. It has let a multi-billion dollar business slip into a pit of squabbling and agenda laden stupidity.
Poker and casino games are part of the American lifestyle. All but two states allow casino gambling in one form or another. In Hoyle’s Modern Encyclopedia of Card Games (the definitive guide to the correct playing of all known card games), Blackjack is listed as a “family” game. Atlantic City and Las Vegas are American landmarks and playgrounds for responsible adults (a nightmare for some) – but the US online casino industry is about as flaccid as flaccid can be.
It’s been nothing less than a circus – sanctimonious politicians in bed with highly paid lobbyists. And then there’s the bickering between tribal gaming and state run gambling entities. All the while, the European market has been flourishing with bona-fide regulation and compliance. Presently, the European iGaming industry has left its US counterpart standing in the dust.
Hopefully, the US gaming environment will become a bit more progressive, and allow the teeming masses to participate recreationally in the near future.