Online Casinos Directory

The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, or OPPAGA, recently submitted a 12-page report on how Florida can manage online poker in the state. Basically, the report suggests that the state can sit back and wait for Congress, completely outlaw online poker or it can legalize and regulate it on its own. Each option has its own issues and the OPPAGA is urging the state to look at them intently before making a decision.

The first option is to wait on Congress. Though this is what a lot of states are doing, many believe that this is the worst financial decision legislators can make. One analyst called ignoring the issue, a way for the state to “proactively let money slip out of its hands.”  There are billions of dollars being sent to offshore online casinos since players can’t play in the US.  That money is being channeled directly away from the state where it could be used to fund a wide range of public works plans. 

The other option is to outlaw online poker. This also is like encouraging Florida players to put their billions into other countries that allow them to gamble. One thing that is apparent is that people will gamble online—whether it is allowed in their jurisdiction or not. The UIGEA does not thwart people from gambling, it only thwarts them from gambling in the US and using banking institutions to fund wagering accounts. There are many other options and ways to still gamble online and most avid gamers have found them.

Finally, the option is for Florida to legalize and regulate online poker play itself. The OPPAGA suggests that legalizing it could raise upwards of $90 million a year for the state. The OPPAGA statement concludes that “…while Florida law does not expressly prohibit Internet Gambling … according to [Attorney General] opinion, the Wire Act provisions, in combination with state law, prohibit an individual from placing a bet or wager by wire communication or via the Internet.”

Only time will tell what the state does, but one thing is for sure: people will gamble online. There are billions to be had in online gaming and if states don’t start capitalizing on the money, people will channel their funds elsewhere out of the country.