Nowadays, if you’ve got the urge to gamble in the U.S., you’ve got to travel to Las Vegas or one of the other casino hubs in the country to play slots, poker, blackjack, or other games of chance. Online poker has just become legal in a few jurisdictions, like Nevada, but one still must be located within state borders to play online legally for real money. In all likelihood, however, this will no longer be the case at some point as the U.S., at least on a state level is moving towards a much more open market.
Is legal U.S. online poker on the horizon nationwide?
Is Change in Federal Laws Imminent?
The reason online gambling has been becoming legalized only on a state by state level is because Federal U.S. laws currently prohibit the practice. Indeed, though other states, like New Jersey, Delaware, and others are moving to make online gambling more widespread, it’s possible that the best that can be hoped for is a patchwork interstate network – unless of course the federal government reverses its stance on online gambling. Even if it does so, it’ll still be illegal to gamble online in states that specifically outlaw it, such as Utah.
Legalizing Online Poker to Collect Much Needed Tax Dollars
Part of the reason so many individual states are gung ho about legalizing online gambling, specifically poker, is the potential for windfall tax revenues. On a state level, a few million dollars in extra revenues makes a big difference.
Indeed, many states believe that online poker tax revenues will shore up much of the shortfall caused by the recession. Though California hasn’t yet made too much progress as far as legalizing online poker, it’s absolutely a cash-strapped state where tax revenues from legal online poker would help make a dent in the deficit.
On a federal level though, even many millions of dollars in tax revenues from legal online poker throughout the country wouldn’t make too much of a dent in the gigantic hole that is American debt. When you’re facing a $16 trillion shortfall, a couple billion simply don’t make too much of a difference. Perhaps that’s why the U.S. government hasn’t rushed to legalize online gambling on a national level.
Legal Online Gambling Will Bring Online Bingo into the Limelight
As should be obvious, online poker is only a small part of what could be tremendous online gambling activity, should it be legalized. For instance, all over the world online bingo is a very popular activity that people play to win cash prizes. U.S. players could soon be included in this group should the right laws get passed. Specifically, a collection of the best online bingo sites have become especially popular in the UK, where bingo has always been a national pastime. It makes sense, then, that when companies will be able to legally incentivize online bingo in the United States, it will soon become a popular game there as well.
Would you like all types of online gambling legalized in the U.S. or just online poker? Sound off in the comments section below or on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Facebook page
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