New Jersey Approves Online Gambling Bill

So what is the deal with the United States and online gambling? As a gambling nation the United States is home to one of the biggest gambling strips in the world. Surrounded by a desert Las Vegas is the biggest accumulation of land based casinos globally. Sports betting has also taken off and Kentucky is well known for horse race events including the Kentucky Derby. All of these activities are very strictly regulated while online gambling was not and a door of opportunity was flung wide open. Fraud became rampant and in short US citizens were spending large amounts of their entertainment budget outside their country.

Withdrawal from the US online gambling market

Such a grey area was exploited and civil lawsuits forced a number of software providers to make a global decision for their operators. Some of the operators had already withdrawn from the US market but ultimately the representatives in court did not come from the operators but rather from the developers themselves.

This withdrawal from the United States acted almost as an admission of guilt setting the Department of Justice on an aggressive manhunt, freezing millions of dollars from gambling related activities and passing on huge fines.

Hope for US players

The new Online Gambling Bill has been drawn up to address the two issues which caused the withdrawal of operators and even NETeller from the US market in the first place. The grey areas are to be removed with more specific legislation. One of the terms of the bill is that operators need to be licensed in Atlantic City, another big apple for the US gambling culture, ensuring that the US still benefits from this thriving industry.

The very first state to take it upon themselves and to vote on the new bill is New Jersey. This bill is to be approved on a state by state basis since the failure of approving online gambling on a national level failed. The assembly passed a majority vote and now it sits with the Governor to sign it. The decision now lies in his hands, should he choose to sign it for the first time since the upheaval in 2006 will there be regulated and legal financial transactions in the online gambling industry in the United States.

This bill has been received well by the nation and has been considered in three other states, Iowa, Florida and California. Once approved New Jersey will go down in history as a trendsetter in online gaming. Read also Online Slots Casinos Accepting US Players