Mainstream Media Now Helping Online Gambling Cause
For the last 10 years or so there have been many Internet gaming news websites that have been reporting on the Internet gambling laws in the United States. With the debate on the legality of online gambling going on in congress, these websites have showed the people in America the pros and cons of the regulation of the online gambling industry.
In the last couple of years the online gambling issues has been a hot one and it has caused the more mainstream media to give the issue more coverage. Recently a New York Times article detailed how big land-based casino companies are changing their views on whether only gambling should be legal or not.
Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz recently stated, “For years, the online gambling issue has been championed only by those within the industry. But now what we are seeing is a shift. The mainstream media has determined that Internet gambling has become a major issue in the US, and the coverage of the issue has broadened to almost all media outlets.”
The articles in the New York Times showed how companies like Wynn Resorts, Harrah’s Entertainment, and MGM Resorts, to name just a few, are beginning to soften their views on online gambling. Harrah’s Entertainment even launched an Internet casino that can be played on by American citizens when the Internet gambling industry is legal and regulated.
US Rep. Barney Frank has been on the forefront of the issues since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was created back in 2006. This law puts the burden on US financial institutions to halt any transactions that are processed that deal with gambling over the Internet. Rep. Frank saw a flaw in this law from the get go, however, be decided to take a different direction to fight it.
The banks state that they are not a policing agency and there is no way for them to determine if an online transaction deals with gambling, as the websites change the codes for transactions. However, Rep. Frank decided to turn his attention on the prohibition of Internet gambling in the US, as he claimed that American citizens should have the right to chose if they want to gamble online or not and that the UIGEA should be overturned.
For several years land-based casinos have been against any law that would regulate the Internet gambling industry. They were under the belief that if gambling were legal online it would take away customers. However, the recent economic slump has made many of these companies change their views. With attendance dropping at land-based casinos the companies now see their potential to branch out on the Net to expand their brand.
There has been work going on to change the laws in Congress and now the mainstream media in the US is now on the side of those who want the UIGEA overturned. Lawmakers will have to be wary because of this, as voting on gambling laws these days comes with various repercussions. The issue will be one of the main ones, as the November elections are soon upon us.
Many Americans want online gambling legal not because their stance on the issue has softened, but because they want that form of entertainment. Now with more of the mainstream media taking that stance the legalization and regulation of the Internet gambling industry may not be far off.
