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October 2006 was a time of major change for the online
casino industry. President Bush attempted, finally, to enforce the US
perspective on online casino gambling by signing the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act. One month after the passing of the bill that was supposed end
online casinos in the United States, a national advocacy group chose to conduct
a study on the effectiveness of the new law.
To their disappointment, America's Watchdog discovered that
the new online casino legislation was having very little effect if any at all.
The US can only boast one indictment; meanwhile, off-shore online casino
operators are operating as usual, finding new ways of getting around US
legislation.
After the signing of the law, online casinos across the
world moved their operations off shore, then strengthened business-banking
relationships with financial institutions that openly provides wire transfers of
US wagers and winnings from online casinos. The not so polite term for this
service is money laundering.
One particular case involved a German bank writing checks
and wiring online casino winnings. The bank happened to be owned by one of the
world’s largest financial institution. In another instance, an online casino
payment service based in Germany freely discussed “laundering money for
thousands of US clients.” America’s Watchdog believes the number of US gamblers
still playing at online casinos is in the millions.
America’s Watchdog believes there is only one safe solution
for the future of online casinos in the US. They protested, “this situation is
very, serious and nothing will change unless the US decides to make it legal for
individual states like Nevada or Native American Tribal Nations to permit US
Citizens to play online, in a regulated and controlled environment.” America’s
Watchdogs went so far as to compare the current US approach to online casinos to
the alcohol prohibition of the 1920s.
The American Gaming Association has gone on record as
calling the new legislation concerning online casinos "confusing." The
American Gaming Association and other related organizations have been encouraged
by Americans Watchdogs to lobby for amendments to the Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act; amendments that would make online casinos and internet gambling
legal in controlled US environments.
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