Online Gambling Last Year

It seems that last year was the year for online gambling to get all the press it deserved and then more so. The gambling industry saw a year in which the United States continued to fight for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA, only to fall to the tiny nation of Antigua. They saw big names in online gambling fall to the government, and casinos to grow faster than people could pull the handles on the online slots.

It was a year in which big names like Google, Yahoo and Microsoft agreed to pay $31.5 million for accepting illegal gambling ads from offshore operators. The Department of Justice said that this was obviously a win for them as it shows that not only are they serious about saying that online gambling is illegal, they are willing to prosecute for it too.

So, then the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association sued the US over the UIGEA. Even though they were initially scoffed at, many have sat up and taken notice of them now. It is widely believed that people thought that the US could do whatever it wanted, but with Antigua winning against the US this is no longer the case.

Barney Frank took the opportunity to try and get his IGREA bill passed, which would legalize and regulate online gambling. It has 45 co-sponsors and continues to grow in popularity as many Americans let it be known that they are for legalized gambling.

The year also saw the Seminoles finally get the deal they have wanted, and more, from Florida. They wanted slots and they got them, plus a whole lot more. The Venetian made headlines of their own when they opened the largest casino ever built in Macau, China. More than 100,000 people come through on average on any given day.


 

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