A new administration will take the reins of power in Washington on January 20th and many, if not most Americans, have high hopes that the new administration will be able to resolve a plethora of problems plaguing the United States. Internet bingo players in the states are hoping the new administration will change the onerous Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which was passed in 2006.
To say that underhanded political tactics were used to pass UIGEA would be an understatement. The bill was slipped into a Port Security Bill at the last moment and was presented in a late night session of congress with no room for debate. Unlike the UK where internet bingo casino games is regulated and taxed, the US chose a prohibitionist stance on internet gaming. The UK boasts several of the largest internet bingo operators doing business within its borders and the internet bingo industry generates a huge amount of revenue for the government.
Despite the UIGEA several companies based in the Carribean and South America continue to accept internet bingo players from the US. The law has been difficult to enforce due to the fact that enforcement responsibilities fall on financial institutions who have been reluctant to take on additional unfunded responsibilities.
Utah State Representative Sheryl Allen is trying to introduce a resolution which would leave decisions pertaining to online gaming to the individual states. The new resolution would defer to state and tribal laws in deciding the legality of internet gaming which includes internet bingo.
Recently the European Commission (EC) has recently responded to a complaint filed by the Remote Gambling Association (RGA). The RGA claims the United States is unfairly discriminating against foreign internet casino spiele and poker firms. The US is currently in a legal battle with Antigua which hosts several internet bingo providers. In a statement the RGA said, “These events show that the outgoing U.S. administration and the Department of Justice have shown a total disregard for the legal rights of European online gaming companies and their stakeholders.”
Many internet bingo players are hoping the incoming administration will take action to ease the legal climate surrounding internet gaming. The new administration faces many serious issues including, an unprecedented economic crisis, massive job losses, a volatile middle east, 50 million uninsured Americans, a struggling auto industry, and other serious issues.
It is easy to see that internet gaming, including internet bingo, will not be a high priority for quite some time. The seriousness of the above issues means that Obama’s administration will not have the time to address the concerns of internet bingo players-at least not in the immediate future.
