Online Gambling Laws
Since time immemorial, gambling has always been a sturdy industry that have continuously evolved through the course of time. From being games an individual could play with physical presence of opponents, it has transformed into something more omniscient as it has been integrated in the World Wide Web or the internet. In our modern age, the availability of waging has become unparalleled across the globe, but a question has still never ceased to exist in wagers' mind especially those who are only beginners - is it legal to gamble online?
To understand the question, 'is it legal to gamble online?', it is always the greatest move to take a look at the history of this concept and take it to your heart from ground-up. It all started with the 'Free Trade and Processing Act' passed by the jurisdiction of Antigua and Barbuda that led to the dawn of Online Casinos. Microgaming has then turned up with a Cryptologic software security, opening doors to secure transactions that was always seen as the core problem of the concept.
From then on, Commissions and Regulatory Jurisdictions like Kahnawake started to pop up one after another and the number of players of online gambling started to bloom unceasingly. In fact, the number of websites offering it has even run rampant as it multiplied from 15 website, to hundreds and thousands more in mere years. However, with the unrelenting rise of web-based waging, the explosive sum of web-based waging establishments also gave birth to various problems.
With different disputes coming one after another, there are countries which decided to put restraints on their waging sector all in different ways. Just like US with a rather complicated Illegal Gambling Law, there also some which has limited their waging sector to better regulate it and to ensure the experience of their people. US Online Casinos started to dwindle and now, there are countless sites out there that doesn't even accept US players. This scenario is also playing out in other strict countries which is something you should note of.
At the end of the line, the question as to whether is it legal to gamble online or not falls in what jurisdiction your country falls on and what laws are applied to this industry at your place. It is also important to note whether the site you'll play at accepts players from your country or not. When you've done all the preparation and made sure that you have perfected your check list, then you can undeniably enjoy waging through the internet.
Legality of Online Gambling in Different Regions
Each country has its own disposition regarding the gambling industry. The transition of casinos from land-based to the virtual world has also influenced one's perspective whether or not it should be legalized. Since the online gaming sites became really accessible, it is almost impossible to hinder people from betting.
Some regions have decided to regulate these gaming sites instead of illegalizing them. The Gambling Commission of Britain, for example, has been straightforward in implementing its rules in playing within licensed online casinos. In fact, the internet gambling industry in Britain has generated the largest gross among all the gambling sectors. Players are legally allowed to enjoy online betting sites without worrying of any sanctions.
In Canada, the legality of internet gambling is based on the local government of a province. British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario are the first few which started supporting the virtual betting industry. Later on, these provinces collaborated to continuously broaden online gaming in Canada.
So far, no one has ever penalized for playing online betting game in Canada. The province has the right to allow and grant license to casino operators for both physical and virtual type. No law has been passed prohibiting Canadian players from enjoying the online casinos like the top picks listed in http://www.actiononlinecasinos.ca.. However, there are certain sites outside Canada that do not accept Canadian players. The same is true for US players.
Compared to Britain and Canada, US has a stricter policies for the said online industry. Actually, there are only few states under US that legalize internet gambling. Although US has a larger casino industry in comparison to Canada, the latter has an advantage in terms of online gaming. Similar with Britain, the internet gambling in Canada has earned the biggest revenue across the other gambling sectors.
Attempts to Legalize Internet Gambling in US
Online gambling in the United States still has a long way to conquer before it become totally legal in the federal level. Despite the resistance in other areas, some states such as Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware have already legalized internet gambling. Nevada is the first state in US to legalize online gaming. It started with online poker, but the patronage used to be small. Eventually, online gambling in this state has gained popularity and Nevada hosted other games as well.
More states are becoming in favor of authorizing the said gaming industry. In fact, several states have filed certain bills aiming for the legalization of online gaming.
Among the states making an effort to allow online gambling is Pennsylvania. Its legislators have passed a bill on iGaming legalization. Once this law has been officially signed, the local government believes that the business of internet gambling can yield additional revenue to the states up to half a billion dollars for the initial five years.
New York and California are both pushing for online poker legalization. California has created AB 1677 to start the debate on this matter. New York, on the other hand, considers poker as a game of skill. Thus, Senator Bonacic and Assemblyman Pretlow filed S03898 and A05250 to regulate the operation and tax of the said game. If passed, the bill requires gaming operators to give upfront payment worth $10 million for a license application.
While the other states are focusing on how to regulate legal online gambling sites, West Virginia and New Hampshire are making ways to decriminalize licensed operators and activities. New Hampshire's HB 562 does not include the regulation and taxation of the said industry, while West Virginia's HB 3067 sets criminal penalty for unlicensed iGaming activities. Regardless of where you live, it's important to find out the gambling rules and regulations. Once you find out it's legal in your area, click now to find a great site where you can begin playing Texas Hold' em poker right away.