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Posts Tagged ‘UIGEA’

The Problem with the UIGEA

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

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 This left the rules sketchy and proves how outdated and irrelevant the bill really is.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.

New Jersey Legislators Approve Gaming Bill

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Online gambling in the US is moving forward. There was a question for a long time that gambling would not be allowed in the online market within the states. There are still sides drawn up against each other on the issue. On one hand there are legislators who are concerned about budgetary shortfalls and the deficit. The recent recession did not leave the country in a positive financial state. In fact, there are still a lot of problems to overcome in the market. This is why some legislators believe that with the added money from tax revenue dollars thanks to gambling online being legalized, the country could overcome shortfalls that much quicker. On the other hand though is a group of legislators with equally as convincing an argument. They believe that legalizing online gambling would do little to help the country protect itself. Though they acknowledge that there would be added funds to work with, a portion of those funds could have to be allocated for fixing problems gambling creates. For example, a city with online gambling legalized could bring in $20 million per month in added revenue however, if that initiative creates thirty-thousand new gambling addicts, where would they go for treatment? The city would have to allocate a portion of that $20 million to helping expand its gambling addiction centers and making them more accessible to everyone in trouble.

New Jersey though is a state that is opting towards online gambling’s legalization. Legislators recently approved a bill that would allow for bringing online betting rooms to the citizens of the state. Though the UIGEA is still in effect, it is up to individual states as to what they want to do with gambling and how they want to manage it. New Jersey of course is struggling with its Atlantic City location having drastically diminished numbers since the recession. Legislators are hoping if they open the door to improving the online market, they can bring in the revenues they are losing from the problems with Atlantic City revenues. Only time will tell what is going to happen and if this online gambling initiative is going to go through as planned, but hopefully the state will have some way of reviving its own flailing casino market.

Ban On Gambling in US Could Continue

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

The world of US gambling is changing quickly. There are many people who are ready for gambling initiatives to be implemented, but that isn’t happening fast enough for them. The US still is working under the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The bill originally was meant to protect US gamers by banning the online gambling activity. In the end though, all it did was push online gamblers into the welcoming arms of offshore gambling companies. Billions of non-recoverable dollars were channeled out of the country and that is now posing to be a problem for legislators. Since the recession, the US legislators are looking for new ways to bring in cash. They know that without some serious new streams of income they are going to be that much more stifled when it comes to getting the turnaround funds needed to recover. Gambling is the perfect solution. People have proven that they will wager and that they will wager in huge numbers. This means that there are billions of dollars to be had IF the US lawmakers are willing to visit the issue with intentional focus.

There are some legislators who have been pushing twice as hard for change. They recognize the advantages of bringing gambling online to the US market. Still, they have a lot of opposition to deal with as they continue to debate their positions. There is a new bill on the table that would allow for online gambling to enter the US market and this is now being coupled up with another bill that is not related to gambling at all. It could be that the bill will allow the change to be made though. Almost under their nose, the bill could squeak by and become a law in coming months. There is one caution however—if legislators don’t address the gambling online issue and its legality, they could be passing up changes in the near future. It is no secret that if this issue isn’t settled soon it could be shelved for another two years. That would seriously put the US back when it comes to moving in on the lucrative market and cost the country billions of dollars when all the numbers are tallied.

Kansas Makes Moves to Increase Online Gambling

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

Some states are wary about bringing online gambling into their markets. Take Washington for example—the state’s legislators have put a ban on internet gambling despite the millions of potential dollars that could come in as a result. Some experts believed that legislators throughout the US would jump on the world of gambling due to the money involved. They thought that everyone would be excited about implementing online gambling initiatives to take advantage of that revenue. Still, there are some states holding out. They see the cost of setting up online gambling and want to hold off. They believe that the money would not overcome the other costs of operating with online gambling plans. Then there are states that are rushing to take advantage of the activity. So far the UIGEA is the only US-centered gambling law, but it has not performed like it was supposed to. In the end all it did was push online gamblers from the US to switch to offshore gambling companies. This channeled millions of dollars out of the country.

There are some states in on the issue and Kansas has joined that grouping. State legislators are seeking an internet gambling development company. Their goal is to create one central controller for their four gambling websites operating within the state’s borders. Legislators are continuing their discussions over how to manage the issue and how to maximize the returns they can get from gambling. it will take time to figure out a viable plan, but that means that there should be enough time to come up with a workable and lucrative plan for the state. This would do a lot of good for the economy. Kansas like other US states suffered greatly due to the recession and is still trying to come out from under the issues it has had in the past. Now the finances are in shambles and the state needs to find new ways of bringing in millions of dollars needed for change. Whether or not gambling will prove to be the solution has yet to be seen, but legislators are willing to give it as best a shot as they possibly can.

US Gambling Law Needs Solution Soon

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Change in the gambling market is common. Right now the market is leveling itself due to changing rules legislators are toying with. Though online gambling isn’t yet legalized in the US, that doesn’t mean that legislators aren’t working hard to make it happen. They want to make sure that people have the ability to wager online and the governments have the chance to take advantage of the huge tax revenue dollars that casinos bring in. Part of their goal is to overcome the aftermath of the recent recessionary period. It left more than a few countries with huge deficits and problems with their financial states. The US is still toying with various rules and regulations when it comes to gambling online but nothing solid has made its way into legislation as of yet. Right now there are a few law makers who are making it a priority, but they aren’t finding as much support as they would like to push the issue forward. The UIGEA as of now still stands—this is a bill that deems online gambling transactions illegal and forces banking institutions to flag and deny them as they come in. It is one of the biggest problems with gambling today and it could be the most detrimental bills on the table. Part of the problem is that the UIGEA doesn’t define what gambling is or what it includes. This is making it difficult for everyone involved to manage their own online gambling entities.

There are solutions on the table, but none of them have been accepted yet. There is some caution that if legislators don’t make it a priority soon, then the issue will be put off for another two years, leaving the US without the ability to take advantage of tax revenue dollars. At a time when the states are sorely in need of the money, this makes it even more difficult for them to continue without it. If legislators are to make decisions on the issue though, they are going to have to do it quickly. If the issue ends up being shelved for another two years, it could prove difficult to ever implement a workable gambling law.

New Bill for Managing Online Gambling On the Table

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

The US and its gambling legislation are up in the air still. It was the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, that banned online gambling transactions. The bill put the duty of policing all online transactions and flagging ones related to wagering, in the hands of financial institutions. Of course, bank owners were not happy about that. Not only did it add a stressor to the mix of their daily operations, but it also brought them to a new level of accountability. If they failed to flag and deny a transaction, their institutions were at risk of money seizure and hefty fines. In an effort to avoid these two repercussions, banks became overzealous with denying transactions. In addition, the UIGEA was seen as incomplete because it didn’t even define what “gambling” was. This was another problem for the banks that had to sort through the various rules of the road in terms of gambling.

There are legislators now working to overturn the UIGEA, and create a new bill to replace it. They are hoping that they can find a law and regulatory ruling to bring in the millions of tax revenue dollars. It is no secret that gambling is a billion dollar business and legislators are aware of how much money is at stake if they continue to leave wagering out of the mix. They know that gambling could be the answer to what is going on in terms of budget shortfalls and deficits. They have few other options beyond gambling that could open the door to the amount of money they need to overcome financial difficulties. In the end, legislators are pushing now for HR2267. This is a bill that should come up with a way to manage gambling online. Unfortunately, there are diminishing numbers of legislators supporting the bill. The bill is being pushed by proponents, but there is no guarantee that it will continue to be a priority if congressmen shift. Some experts are saying that if it isn’t passed this time around, most likely the bill will end up on the table in two years at the soonest.

New Bill Would Change UIGEA

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Legislators are working with gambling laws in the US. There are many people who want to change things, but the problem is big. So far the UIGEA still stands and that bans banks from processing transactions that deal with gambling. The biggest problem is that banks are tasked with flagging and monitoring gambling activities. Legislators are around who want to change the laws, but they are having a difficult time pushing through bills to amend the UIGEA. So far there are a few key players in the fight, but their goals are to do more than to discuss possibilities. The overall goal is to bring a new bill into the mix or at minimum amend the UIGEA. This new configuration of the bill would allow for gaming companies to operate legally. In turn, they would have access to the millions in tax revenue dollars available. Gamblers were unable to wager in the states and so they moved to offshore companies, taking their millions of gambling dollars with them. Legislators look back at that time and realize how much they lost in terms of revenue and how it is unrecoverable at this time. Still—some are pushing for changes that will take advantage of the tax revenue dollars coming in via gambling.

The changes aren’t coming as quickly as hoped for though. Legislators are pushing for a passing of a new bill that would change the laws, but the timeline is not as hasty as wanted. If the issue isn’t sorted out in the near future, it seems that it may be shelved for another two years. That is two year’s worth of gambling dollars that would be fueled out of the country. Gambling is a billion dollar business and is expected to more than double in worth in the next four years, so that leaves the US as a loss of billions. If something isn’t finished soon, this is going to be the outcome and legislators will lose the advantage of millions of tax revenue dollars. Post recession, this is not a good time to pass up the money. It would do a lot for turning the market around that much quicker.

US Gambling Law Still in Limbo

Monday, November 29th, 2010

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.

US Gambling Laws Changing Quickly

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

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.

UIGEA Amendment Seems to be on Hold

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

It was hoped that online would get more attention than it has in past months. That may sound odd because gambling has been a hot topic for a lot of companies and in the market, but it isn’t as hot a topic where it counts: legislators. It is true that Representative Barney Frank has been petitioning hard for changes in the gambling market. His main focus is the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. It was a law that should have banned gambling but in the end, all it did was push US gamers to fuel their money out of the country by using offshore gambling companies. In the end it didn’t stop gamblers from wagering in the US, as it was intended to do. For this reason now Frank is taking the reins at changing the laws. He wants to write legislation to amend the UIGEA and offer online gambling to US residents. He wants that money to be kept within the country also.

There is a problem though. The issue of changing the UIGEA and legalizing online gambling has been on the floor for two years now, yet no tangible changes have been made. No strides in the market have happened. The government is no closer to legalization or regulation than it was two years ago. This is proving to be an issue for gaming activists who want the issue to be brought up for debate. They want to see millions of dollars in the US and give the country a chance to generate its own huge revenues. Frank seems to be the only one though who is pushing the issue, and he can’t push it alone. If the issue isn’t addressed soon, experts are saying it won’t be. Or at least it won’t be for another two years when new legislators take their posts. The delay is costing the US billions of dollars though and it is putting the American gaming public in jeopardy. They are playing at non-US websites without the protections the government could potentially give them. Only time will tell where the issues goes in the future, but most likely Frank will continue to push and so will voters.