How Online Gambling Got Started
During the late 1990s, online keluaran sgp was a fad. You could find sites that offered gambling for real money, or you could play games for free, or you could even play virtual poker. But what was the legality of these sites? And how did they get their start?
One of the first states to offer online gambling was Nevada. The state had many casinos and was the original sports betting state. Unlike the majority of the country, Nevada’s position as the sports betting hub of the country did not draw the federal government’s attention. In fact, the Department of Justice attempted to interpret the Interstate Wire Act as relating to all forms of Internet gambling, but it failed in court.
The next year, a US senator named Jon Kyl introduced two bills to the Senate that would have limited online gambling to horse races. These were the Goodlatte and Kyl bills. In the end, the bills were vetoed by the President. However, they did have their share of good publicity. Google and Yahoo removed ads for online gambling sites from their web pages.
The Department of Justice was not amused. In April 2007, Rep. Barney Frank introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act (HR 2046). The bill would amend the UIGEA to allow Internet gaming. It would also require licensed Internet gambling facilities to obtain licenses from the director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The UIGEA is the law of the land in the United States, but it may not necessarily be the law of the land in other countries.
In the meantime, the US Justice Department indicted three of the largest online poker sites for allegedly violating the UIGEA. These sites were Partypoker, PokerStars, and Full Tilt. While the largest and most popular site was Partypoker, the smallest was Full Tilt.
The UIGEA had been the talk of the town for some time, and the Department of Justice was attempting to apply the law to all forms of Internet gambling. But the Department of Justice has no legal basis for doing so.
The Department of Justice did not stop there. It went on to accuse the founders of the three largest online poker companies of bank fraud and money laundering. The newest version of the UIGEA, the Smart Moves for a Better America Act, is even more sweeping. In addition to requiring licensing, the act would also require companies that advertise, operate, or provide services for Internet gambling to be subject to fines. This law has been criticized for being unnecessary, overly sweeping, and lacking any actual legal basis.
The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act is still a hot topic. The act was not only the largest in the history of the internet, but the only law of the ilk that has made it through the courts.
The Internet is a great place to gamble, but it is also dangerous. The dangers are not only financial, but they include access by children, criminal activity, and even the potential for illegal use by vulnerable individuals. If you’re a risk taker, there are many sites where you can play for real money, but make sure to check out the regulations and requirements for each site before you sign up.