Is Online Poker Time For The United States

In what was a really small occurrence with what could be much wider ranging implications, the Illinois State Lottery recently became the first American lottery provider to offer tickets online.

This may sound strange to non-U. S. citizens but it's not through a lack of technological capability. The reason dates back to 1961 and the Wire Act, a piece of legislation which prohibited betting on sports events via the telephone. Until recently, uncertainty about whether this Act also restricted online casino and lottery gaming meant that no-one risked breaching the law.

That was until December 2011 when the U. S. Department of Justice decided that the Wire Act only restricted sports betting online and not other pursuits, which include on the web gambling. The Illinois State Lottery was the first to offer this service and other States will really follow.

But how does this affect the once huge market for online poker? What about blackjack and roulette? That is clearly a more complicated matter. These games still have problems with the effects of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) 2006 which prohibited the transfer of money to websites offering these games.

Some states are attempting to find their particular routes for this legislation. While all poker fans would rather the federal government to manage this industry and get it back on it's feet, currently it looks as if it will be up to the more progressive States to get the ball rolling.

Nevada may be the furthest along this particular track - at one point the bricks and mortar casino industry in Vegas and Reno were set against on line gaming, fearing their revenues would be hit. They now appear to have observed the writing on the wall and accepted this will happen in the course of time. Consequently some have entered into partnerships with existing non-U. S. online casinos to set up the required infrastructure in preparation for statewide regulation.

Nevada also boasts the Nevada Gaming Commission which can be already in the process of creating a regulatory framework to govern intrastate online gaming. In the absence of any federal, nationwide regulation, American poker players can only hope that how many states which are willing to press ahead using their own gaming networks will reach sort of critical mass which will force the governments hand.

The Illinois State Lottery is a small start but hopefully the first faltering step back on the way to sensible Casino legislation.