There is no online gambling market in the world that is as potentially lucrative as the United States. That is why the rest of the world watches the developments that take place there so closely. The political climate is undergoing some changes, but whether that is going to benefit the online casino industry as a whole is a very big question.
In the United States, things are simple but at the same time kind of complicated. For one thing, there is a law in place called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, otherwise known as the UIGEA, which was created in order to block banks from making any transactions that are related to gambling with United States citizens. This was the Department of Justice's way of cutting off all supply of funding for online gambling accounts. That is because it has its effect on the use of credit cards, bank transfers and eChecks. There are really electronic wallets that are able to be used by residents of the United States to open a casino account. And since the law actually makes reference to "financial institutions," that cuts out Western Union and other ways of transferring cash; that is, if they can be identified as something related to a gambling transaction.
That really is the key when it comes down to it. If something is not a gambling transaction, how can you stop it? Credit cards continue to be used by customers to open up accounts at online casinos and sportsbooks, because the merchant code is disguised in such a way that it makes it appear as if it is some other kind of transaction. There have been other methods like gift cards that have been used as well, as they can be replenished from either the player's or casino's end.
At Online Casino Lobby we are happy to be able to point you in the direction of options you can turn to in the online casino world. We review casinos and make recommendations as to where the solid operations are. They have great support departments and allow customers to call toll-free from the United States to get help. The software they use can accommodate U.S. players, and there are ways to deposit from the United States to open an account. We have gone through a painstaking process to present these casinos and what they have to offer.
There is a changing atmosphere in the United States, where states now look upon online gambling as a way to raise revenue, the way they did with land-based casino gambling to very long ago. And so the attitude is softening, but only to a certain extent. The states like Nevada and New Jersey, who have intentions of moving forward with online gambling (with the exception of sports betting) have indicated that the licensees are going to be those who either already have an existing gaming license in the state or go through an exhaustive process of approval, and that effectively leaves those major players in the online gambling out, in favor of land-based operators.