Understanding the United States Law on Online Gambling

It is irrefutable that the gambling market in the United States is immense. Before the US Congress passed the law on online gambling, online and offline casinos were largely benefiting from the huge market. The gambling industry is truly one of the biggest industries in the country. It is not surprising that there is one city that is devoted entirely to catering to the whims of gamblers. Accordingly, state laws on gambling have been created, passed and implemented and these laws have expanded the boundaries of gambling and as a result, there is a considerable industry boom.

With the advent of online gambling, the industry has become even stronger and bigger. Casinos were brought from Las Vegas to players' homes. Accordingly, more and more people started playing online. Curiously, the government did not take the same positive stand with Internet gambling as it did with land-based gambling because in 2006, the Congress enacted into law the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act.

The Passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006

With economic issues arising from gambling online, the government forever toyed with the idea of making online gambling illegal. But it was only in September of 2006 that the Congress passed the law which amended the Safe Harbor Act. Interestingly, the government passed a legislation which did not categorically made gambling online illegal but it banned transfer of money to online casinos.

Some casino players regard the passage of this legislation as somewhat sneaky. The US federal government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 as an attachment to the Safe Harbor Act. This practically side blinded online casino players. What was merely an Act passed to eliminate terrorism became an Act which prohibited Internet gambling. The passage of the Safe Harbor Act paved the way for the automatic passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act as well.

The Interpretation of the Online Gambling Law

There are arguments about the interpretation of the online gambling law. Since there is no actual prohibition of the act of gambling online, there are people who insist that the law does not really prohibit gambling online. There are no prohibitions against establishment of online casinos and there are no reports of arrests made in connection with gambling online. So, it's not surprising why there are still millions of US gamblers playing online.

The ambiguity of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006 raises issues on the legality of gambling online. However, there are states that have categorically prohibited online gambling. As a casino player, it is advisable that you first check on your state laws on online gambling before you start playing. So, you would know what casinos and deposit options are available to you.