Online Casinos Directory

There are still a lot of issues the online gambling market has to sort out before things are running seamlessly. One of the biggest ones is finding a uniform law to work under. The US and gambling have been toying with each other for years now. It was the 2006 UIGEA that was the most aggressive legislators ever got when it came to wagering. The bill failed, but it was supposed to push gambling out of the US market. The purpose was to task financial institutions with flagging and denying any activities that had to do with gambling. Banks were not crazy about the bill because they knew that the added cost would be a big one. Imagine having to create the manpower to go through every transaction. Sure there are coding laws used, but not all gambling transactions are coded the right way. If a bank accidently let a questionable transaction go through they were then in danger of the money being seized, but also in danger of hefty fines by the government. The trouble it caused to banks was one that they were hoping they could get rid of soon—no such luck. There are legislators trying to turn around the UIGEA, or at minimum amend it, but that isn’t happening as quickly as some would hope. The issue is still up in the air and the UIGEA stands.

Part of the problem with the UIGEA though is that it didn’t define what exactly “gambling” was. This left the rules sketchy and proves how outdated and irrelevant the bill really is. The only thing the bill ended up doing was pushing US gamblers to offshore companies. That channeled billions of dollars out of the country and most likely they are never going to be recovered in the market. Though legislators are pushing towards change, if the issue isn’t faced this year, it could be completely put on hold for another two years. This would be tragic for the US market. It means that states would not yet be able to take advantage of the huge tax revenue dollars that gaming brings in. It will take time to sort through the issue, but hopefully it is sooner than later.

The Danish government is not having an easy time with creating adequate online gambling laws. So far the legislators have put the decisions on hold for more time to debate out the issues. So far it will be at the earliest summer of 2011 when a decision is being made. Originally legislators decided that they were going to allow Denmark online casinos to open their doors to offshore players. This would have allowed the country to take advantage of how lucrative the market is right now and come up with new ways of bringing in revenue. The decision was to happen on the first day of the new year. Companies were being asked to contribute an annual fee and a portion of their total gross numbers. The average fee would have been between €7,000 to €200,000 per year in taxation. This could have been a highly lucrative move if it had gone through. Still the country opted for a postponement of the issue until later in the coming year.

This is just one example of how the gambling market is still changing. Legislators are working to create workable laws, but some are finding hang ups and are unable to move forward. Whether or not things are going to change quickly has yet to be seen. Right now the Danish government is asking the EU to step in and help to sort through the taxation laws. The EU is pushing for gambling to be allowed, but under its own laws of free trade and good business. This is coming into question because a lot of countries are writing their own laws in terms of gaming. They know how much money is at stake and are trying to create their own monopolies within their borders. Whether or not this will continue to go unnoticed by the EU has yet to be seen. They have brought their concerns up to member countries, but a lot of them are putting the issues on hold. They need more research and more time to sort through all the changes. The market is moving quickly and this is not making it easy for legislators to create adequate laws to sustain it.

There were debates on what US state would be the first to come up with adequate online gambling laws. Many were pining for the position, but it looks like New Jersey may be the forerunner and winner. The state recently announced that it is bringing changes to the internet gambling market. Part of the reason is the flailing Atlantic City gambling market. Atlantic City has been suffering for some time now and there are no signs of revival coming soon according to the numbers. Recently the casino had to do mass layoffs—twice. They let go of thousands of workers both times. The problem is that neighboring states are opening their own premiere gambling facilities and that is creating serious competition for the gambling Mecca. Add to that the rise in online gambling and gamers have a wider range of options than they ever had. Plus some of the other options are much newer and showcasing bigger and better games and promotions. In response, Atlantic City has been creating its own new promotions, but they don’t seem to be as effective as once hoped. Now the state is stepping in.

New Jersey officials are defining a new law in a way so that it will not be defying any current US laws on a federal level. They know that it is a tricky subject to create gambling laws right now when the UIGEA is still in effect. Nothing has changed it, though there have been various legislators how are trying. The issue may be shelved for another two years if changes aren’t made soon. This is leaving states on their own when it comes to writing online gambling law and New Jersey is taking the initiative with the issue. They are hoping that the allowance of online gambling will help to bring in the old revenue numbers post-recession. If they can bring in the same money, or even more, this would make the market that much easier to turn around fully. Remember that New Jersey is still suffering in terms of finances. They want Atlantic City to be a success again, or if not they want some other revenue stream to replace its old income levels—even if only temporarily.

There are still some problems to be ironed out in the online gambling market. One country that is struggling with the issue is France. The French gaming market is under some criticism lately due to its odd rulings regarding taxation. The market is known as one of the highest taxing countries. If a company wants to hold court in their area, they have to pay hefty fees for licensing. This is why virtually no one company has opted to do so—they prefer places like Gibraltar. Gibraltar is traditionally known as one of the fairest markets for online gambling companies to set up shop. Their taxation is low and they are reasonable with licensing and other fee schedules. On the other hand places like France are under fire due to their lack of working with gaming companies. As an added deterrent, people are being paid out little. This is a situation that is making gambling in the country a less-than positive pastime. There are few headlines about citizens getting paid out, although numbers are showing that it is not for lack of trying. Gamers in France are playing, but the numbers are dwindling. In fact, since the same time last year their overall gambling numbers are down by about 7%.

Companies are also stating that French legislators are being unfair with their taxation laws. They are charging too much for gaming companies to come in and solicit the citizens of the country. Many companies are saying that they are even considering opting out of the market if things don’t get better. It could mean that French officials lose the licensing and taxation revenues they have access to now if they don’t rework some of the laws. Overall gambling in France has come to somewhat of a standstill in the past few months. Though there is still a customer base, they are wagering less. There are fewer payouts to speak of and that is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of gamers in the country. The country’s officials are pushing for change, but they still believe that their current taxation laws are more than reasonable. Only time will tell if they continue to work out.

For a while now Cyprus has been one of the preferred locations for gambling companies to set up shop. One of the problems that online gambling companies have is that they have to choose locations where the licensing fees and set-up costs aren’t too large. Take France for example…the country was recently criticized for increasing its taxation for gambling companies. It was labeled as one of the highest charging countries when it comes to hosting gambling companies. For this reason, critics are predicting that companies holding their licensing in France will soon pull out to find more financially friendly locations and new companies will pass France by as a possibility for setting up shop. Cyprus traditionally has never had this problem. The country has offered some of the most reasonable and sought-after business solutions for gaming companies. That could be changing though.

The Cyprus government is now toying with new rules. Legislators want to ban online casino gaming. This could seriously change the market if gaming companies are no longer able to operate within the country. In addition to the companies’ issues, Cyprus also would be affected. They get to take advantage of the huge tax dollars that come in from gambling. The law has already been turned over to the EC, or European Commission for review. Once they make a decision, most likely then the parliament is going to vote on the issue within 2010 still. There isn’t a lot of time for the changes, and this shows how much the market should be turned around soon. This law for a ban on online gambling is all encompassing too and would include slots, sports wagering, poker, roulette and other table games that go on. Right now there are about six-hundred different online casinos working in the country and that could seriously change their markets. They would immediately have to find new way of opening the door for gaming in other areas of the world. Of course there are some places that will welcome them with open arms, but that doesn’t mean that Cyprus will not suffer financially due to the changes.

There are still more countries debating the value of online gambling. Now it is Finland that is scrutinizing its own laws regarding the activity. It is coming as little surprise to experts though. Finland has traditionally been very conservative with its gambling and online gaming laws. This is another country whose legislators are not totally swayed by the millions of dollars available. This was a major bargaining chip of gambling companies. They promised legislations millions of tax revenue dollars in exchange for the opportunity to operate and market within their countries. It worked for some countries; but others are still holding out. Though they acknowledge the millions of dollars available, they still believe that there is more to the issue other than just the money. They believe that gambling in general will bring an inevitable rise in crime and corruption. That will call for added man-power in terms of police and task forces. The need could all but usurp any profits had by the gambling activities.

Finland officials are still maintaining that playing games online is legal, however it can only be done via the state-regulated company RAY. This is a monopoly the country has over the gambling industry. RAY is in an exclusive deal with Playtech gaming company for its software protocols and this is what is keeping it up to date in terms of great games and online activities for gamers. Though the company is at the forefront, RAY is still limited in what it offers its gamers. The country has a goal of providing games, but on a safe platform for its residents. The games are regulated by officials of RAY who seek approval from legislators directly when it comes to vetoing or integrating new games into its online portal. Right now the games are widespread though. You can go to RAY and find games in over one-hundred-and-fifty varieties. You won’t soon get bored with the games RAY has to offer. Still, legislators are questioning whether or not they want to continue with the market. They know that games are a popular pastime with people and don’t want to miss out on the huge revenues available. They also want to protect residents and keep them from using companies that aren’t as reliable.

The world of gambling is still sorting itself out and that is putting a strain on companies that want to start reaping the benefits of gambling revenue as soon as possible. In the US the laws are sketchy at best. On one hand there is a legislative body that is working to update the UIGEA and possibly amend it. They want to use the huge tax revenue dollars available to bring in millions of dollars needed to turn things around in the US economy. Their goal is to outdate the UIGEA and bring together some workable regulation to the market of gambling. On the other hand though is an anti-gambling legislative body that believes that legalizing gambling would juts bring more problems to the states involved. These legislators believe that gambling brings in inevitable rises in the amount of crime, corruption and gambling addictions to an area. They say that the cost to fix these problems will eat away at any revenues brought in by them in the first place. It is a difficult time because for the most part, the issue seems to have been shelved by Congress though and this is causing concern.

Though Representative Barney Frank is the one taking the lead on amending the UIGEA, he seems to have lost steam himself. The issue is no longer a priority but rather has fell to the wayside of other more pressing matters that legislators are sorting out. Still—Frank maintains that he is focused on gambling and still is coming up with a regulatory law that would allow for online gambling to legally enter the market and benefit the states and the federal government with million in tax revenue dollars every month. For example, a recent big opening of a casino in Maryland brought in $2 million in revenue over just four days of opening. If you multiply this by three-hundred-sixty-five days a year, you can see how gambling is such a priority to Frank and other pro-gambling activists who believe that it is the key to turning the market around completely and benefiting from the huge dollars that gambling can potentially bring in.

The world of gambling has changed over the years. It began years ago and that shows due to the amount of popularity gambling took on early in history. In the US the laws are up in the air. Though states are free to regulate on their own, many are taking their cues from the federal level of judgment. Gambling has a dual nature to it when it comes to arguing its characteristics. On one side, legislators want gambling legalized because they believe that would bring in millions of dollars every month. They also believe that it would protect gamers from illegal gambling companies. On the other hand, there are those who believe that gambling should not be legalized. They believe that bringing it in the states would open the door for more problems that could take away from that revenue brought in. For example, if addictions rise as a result of legalized gambling then the states would have to create funds to increase gambling addiction centers and resources. Both sides have good arguments and it seems that it all rests on a good regulatory law. This is what legislators are trying to put together.

That regulation is what Barney Frank is pushing for. He has taken the helm at bringing in gambling and different regulations. His main goal is to turn around the UIGEA of 2006. This was a bill that banned financial institutions from taking transactions related to gambling. The result though was not that people stopped wagering—rather they started wagering at offshore companies. This fueled millions of dollars out of the country and that money is not recoverable. It is one of those things that is costing the US market billions over the years and is continuing to cost them. On the roster for gambling initiatives is to come up with the proper regulation for gamers to take advantage of. If you continue to watch gambling in the states, expect more changes to come about that regulate gambling better for the area. The country wants to take advantage of the millions of tax revenue dollars available, but that is not going to come without a lot of regulatory measures.

Many states in the US are pushing for legalized gambling. They know how much of a financial benefit legalized gambling provides to their legislations. Consider that recently the opening of Hollywood Casino in Perryville Maryland brought in $2 million—and it was open for just the last four days of October. This is the kind of money generating activity that doesn’t come along often in the market—or any market for that matter. This is why so many legislators are pushing so hard for gambling companies to set up in their jurisdictions. The want to benefit from the huge tax revenue dollars that could potentially come in from the games, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The biggest detriment is the social aspect and the various repercussions that gambling could potentially bring. Sure there are millions of dollars to be had, but there also are problems that occur as a result.

One of the main problems is that happens with gambling is that it opens the door for addictions. Remember that the online world of gambling is dependent on having an internet connection. It is hard for people with addictions to stay away from the internet altogether to fight their addiction. For example, an alcoholic can stay out of bars and places that serve alcohol. What is a gambling addict to do to avoid internet access? In today’s world there is internet access almost everywhere—coffee shops, restaurants, cafés, libraries and even some retail outlets. It is one of the biggest ways that they promote their customer base—they offer free wifi connections. It is difficult for gambling addicts to remove the activity from their world completely. So the point of anti-gambling activists is that legalizing gambling could bring in a long list of problems for addicts. And the government would then have to find solutions with recovery support and groups to help them—that all would cost communities extra dollars to manage. Though they would be bringing in millions of dollars as a result of gambling initiatives, they could be portioning out a huge amount of that for creating help centers for addicts. In the end, the debate looms on. People are worried about gambling and worried about the repercussions of legalizing it. Who will win out? No one knows just yet.

Most countries these days want more gambling. They believe that gambling is the key to bringing a growth market to their economies and herald the millions of dollars to be had. Though the overall push is for increased gaming, there are still some countries that are pushing back against the demand. Australia is a country that isn’t all for gambling increases. Sure the government is well aware that it is a great way to shore up funds. The market overall is a billion-dollar one and it is expected to move-than double in size in coming years. However, with it some new problems are arising that the Australian government cannot ignore. Namely addictions for the country are on the rise. This is causing legislators to question how useful gambling is. Sure it may ring in a lot of money, but if that money needs to be channeled then into high-cost addiction centers, how useful is it? Plus addictions bring about a lot of other problems like foreclosures, bankruptcy, defaults, repossessions, not to mention marital and social problems. These all cost money to rehabilitate. That money could seriously cut down on the amount of revenue being brought in and make it moot.

The Australian government is well aware of the growing addiction problems too. They see how numbers are increasing and attribute it not only to the growing popularity of gambling as a whole, but also to online gambling. Residents are being inundated with forms of gambling from every angle and it could be taking its toll on them. They seem to be managing well thus far, but that doesn’t mean the government is turning a blind eye to concerns over addiction. Senator Xenophon is calling for stricter rules regarding gambling. He wants to shore up all the rules regarding the pastime and creating regulations that protect the people. He also warns that legislators cannot be blinded by the revenues that gambling provides, and allow problems to go unmanned as a result. He wants to continue with the gambling initiatives because it is clear that people want to wager, but his main concern is to get rules into place before another growth spurt occurs.