Change is Coming

It would seem that a lot of the speculation that has surrounded President-elect Barack Obama is the idea of how he will handle the online casino industry. There are many that voted and canvassed for him in the hope that he would overturn the UIGEA. They believed that he was their hope for legalized and regulated online casinos and do not want to be disappointed.

Now it would seem that they have nothing to worry about. On his latest website, change.gov, there is a list of things that he is planning on implementing – and one of them is the idea of protecting the internet from censorship and government interference.

It doesn’t seem like you can get any clearer as to what government interference in the online casino industry than the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA. The listing of this idea would seem to “brighten the prospects” for the online casino industry, as he says he is expecting to "ensure the full and free exchange of ideas through an open Internet and diverse media outlets."

He thinks that one of the major reasons the internet has done so well is because it has been allowed to grow up until the passage of the UIGEA. This announcement comes hot on the heels of the one from Microgaming that says that they will no longer be accepting players from the US. There has also been talk of regulations that are going to be implemented by the Bush Administration before Obama can take office.

These regulations come just as a new Congress is set to come in – a congress that will undoubtedly repeal the UIGEA as it is one of the main reasons why they were all voted in to office in the first place. It would seem that the Treasury is seeking to throw one last piece of legislation out there against the UIGEA before they leave their offices.