FTC Warning About Online Gambling
You may remember the warning that the FTC gave about online gambling back in 2002. If not, here is the FTC warning. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission conducted a study of the online gambling industry and came to the conclusion that it is unsafe because there isn’t adequate protection against underage gambling. So how does this 2002 report stand up today?
In 2002, the FTC said that many online gambling sites didn’t have any warnings about underage gambling and those that did often didn’t feature them prominently. That is still the case. I think many online casinos assume that because their software is designed to prevent minors from gambling, and because everyone seems to know that underage gambling is illegal, it’s not necessary to advertise it. That may not be true, but it seems to be a common belief within the industry.
The truth is that online casinos have software that verifies the age of those who attempt to join and log into the site. Is it perfect? Of course not, but neither is the security barrier to buying cigarettes or alcohol, which is a bored and disinterested worker making minimum wage.
The point is that all security systems can be beaten. Underage gamblers manage to spend money at brick and mortar casinos, but trying to shut them down because of it is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It’s best to work on solutions and find the best ways to minimize underage gambling. The same goes for those playing online. For a list of the safest online casinos, check out http://internetcasinogamblingonline.net.
