US Online Gambling on Knife Edge
The future of legalization of online gambling in the United States is poised on a knife edge. No one can predict which way it will go. Neither the proponents of online gambling nor the opponents are giving an inch.
The most likely route to legalization of online gambling will be through Barney Frank’s bill. This bill seeks to legalize online gambling and put in place a regulatory mechanism. If this bill is passed the UIGEA will automatically be repealed. However the bill has a long way to go and time is running out. The bill is presently in the House Financial Services Committee. It first requires the assent of the Committee, it has then to be passed by the House, it has later to be passed by the Senate and finally it has to be signed by the President before it becomes law.
It is unlikely that the authorities will grant a second extension to the implementation of the UIGEA rules. Granting an extension the first time around in December 2009 was seen as an act of fairness. But granting a second extension could convey a message of weakness and mental preparedness of accepting that online gambling should be legalized. Therefore the second extension will be hard to come by. The minimum that the proponents of online gambling will have to ensure before asking for an extension will be the passage of the bill from the House Committee to the House.
Meanwhile organizations whose future is linked to online gambling have begun to make preparations in a manner they deem favorable. Harrah’s is the largest land casino group in the United States. It is possible that when online gambling is legalized there would be a shift in clientele from land gambling to online gambling. Harrah’s is ready for that. It’s online casino and poker operations went live a few months back and its online bingo operations went live this month. There have been quite a few online gambling operators and service providers that faced criminal prosecution in the United States. Despite being told that the United States government was not on firm ground, these operators have paid hefty fines and cleaned their slates. The idea is that when online gambling becomes legal in the United States they would not be barred from participating because of pending prosecutions


