Several states have legalized Internet gambling, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. However, there are still many states that have not. The federal government has also been quite hostile towards online gambling. It has seized assets in several online gaming cases.
Although online gambling is illegal in Atlantic City, Nevada, and Vegas, it is still legal in some other jurisdictions. In 2007, for example, 6 % of the British population used the Internet to gamble. However, in 2010 the figure rose to almost 7 %.
Gambling is a popular pastime for both young and old. The Internet is also convenient because it allows gamblers to wager from home and in the privacy of their own home. There are a number of advantages to Internet gambling, including speed, ease, convenience, and the ability to wager on many different betting products. However, Internet gambling poses unique problems for those with gambling addictions, especially in terms of electronic payments.
The Internet is also useful for tracking and monitoring gambling losses and deposits. In fact, some operators have implemented sophisticated methods to detect risky players. In fact, the best way to detect a problem gambler may be through algorithmically generated risk indicators. Unfortunately, most research has been conducted with a single gambling site’s dataset, which may not be applicable to other online gamblers.
It is not uncommon for government agencies to ban something before making it legal. For example, the US Department of Justice attempted to interpret the Interstate Wire Act as relating to all gambling. However, this attempt failed in court. Instead, the best example of the UIGEA’s ability to make a difference was the fact that it indicted three of the largest online poker sites.
One study reported that more than 530,000 high school-aged males visited gambling sites on a monthly basis. This number might seem high, but it is relatively small. On the other hand, a study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that the number of college-aged males who visited Internet gambling sites on a monthly basis shot up from 4.4% to 16.0% in 2010.
Although most of the research done on Internet gambling has been cross-sectional, the benefits of regulation have begun to percolate. Many jurisdictions have recognized the benefits of regulation, such as taxation revenue and consumer protection. For example, in Kansas, the sports betting industry generated $1 million in revenue in its first month. In addition, several organizations offer help for those with gambling problems. Some of these organizations even offer referral services for local programs.
While the Internet may not be able to prevent underage gambling, there are many states and organizations that can assist with locating resources that can. In fact, the United States has a number of state organizations that offer free or low-cost help for people with gambling problems. Using the internet to locate these resources is simple, just search “Internet Gambling Addiction Help” plus the name of the state.
There are many online gambling sites to choose from. In the US, online poker is estimated to be worth about $6 billion annually. The most popular gambling sites are PokerStars, Full Tilt, and Partypoker.