Is Online Poker Time For The United States

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In what was an extremely small occurrence with what could be much wider ranging implications, the Illinois State Lottery recently became the first American lottery provider to market tickets online.

This may sound strange to non-U. S. citizens but it's not through a lack of technological capability. The main reason dates back to 1961 and the Wire Act, an item of legislation which prohibited betting on sports events via the telephone. Until recently, uncertainty about whether this Act also restricted online casino and lottery gaming meant that no body risked breaching the law.

That was until December 2011 when the U. S. Department of Justice decided that the Wire Act only restricted sports betting online and not other pursuits, which include online gambling. The Illinois State Lottery was the first to offer this service and other States will surely follow.

But how does this affect the once huge market for online poker? How about blackjack and pokerqq roulette? That is clearly a more complicated matter. These games still have problems with the effects of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) 2006 which prohibited the transfer of money to websites offering these games.

Some states want to find their own routes for this legislation. While all poker fans would like the federal government to regulate this industry and get it back on it's feet, currently it looks as though it will be up to the more progressive States to get the ball rolling.

Nevada is the furthest along this particular track - at one point the bricks and mortar casino industry in Vegas and Reno were set against on line gaming, fearing their revenues would be hit. They now appear to have observed the writing on the wall and accepted that will happen ultimately. Consequently some have entered into partnerships with existing non-U. S. online casinos to set up the mandatory infrastructure in preparation for statewide regulation.

Nevada also boasts the Nevada Gaming Commission which is already along the way of setting up a regulatory framework to govern intrastate online gaming. In the absence of any federal, nationwide regulation, American poker players can only hope that how many states which are willing to press ahead with their own gaming networks will reach a sort of critical mass which will force the governments hand.

The Illinois State Lottery is a small start but hopefully the first step back on the way to sensible Casino legislation.