All that can be said about the way the US Government has handled online gambling is, What the Hell is Wrong With You? They’ve fumbled their way through a feeble attempt at trying to prevent a multi-billion dollar a year industry that is simply an extension of what they already allow through government lotteries, horse race tracks, Native casinos and oh yeah, that small town called Las Vegas.
Although we say “fumbled” and “feeble attempt” they have actually done a decent job at cracking down on decent companies that provide American citizens with what they want – the freedom to play at an online casino. There are definitely still some great online casinos left who accept US players, however there are some less than stellar ones as well.
Online Gambling History
For those that are unfamiliar with the history of online gambling in the United States, here’s a quick run down. Back in 2006 the US government attached the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) onto the Port Security bill, a major initiative to protect the ports against terrorism (and no we aren’t sure how that’s related to online gambling either). UIGEA was a last minute addition to a bill that was definitely going to be passed. Meaning that in the fall of 2006 the US government took a major step towards cracking down on online casinos and gambling. The long and short of the UIGEA was to target banks and financial institutions by essentially saying that it was illegal to process illegal gambling transactions. The actual laws took a couple of years to implement as there is no official definition of what constitutes illegal gambling (strange that’s there’s a law to enforce said illegal gambling though). Many of the major UK firms that were publicly traded realized that their most appropriate action was to exit the US market due to the uncertainty– that included the likes of 888.com, Party Poker, William Hill and other major companies.
UIGEA Targets Banks
Since 2006 there have been crackdowns and seizures of bank accounts that are believed to be used to pay US online gamblers. It has gotten progressively harder for players to make deposits and in many instances withdrawal their funds. However with an industry that is this large and worth this much, the online gambling companies have always found a way.
If you look back at the history of casinos accepting US players, you will see that there was a swell of new casinos to come online since 2006 – they saw an opportunity and took it. Although many of the big online gambling operations left the US market, some remained and those that did have become better operations.
Check Your Jurisdiction
We always recommend that as a player you are responsible for knowing what is legal and illegal in your jurisdiction, this site will not cover everything for all US States. What we do know, is that for those who do gamble online it is imperative to be sure that you wager at a quality online casino to ensure that you protect yourself. And remember, if you are having troubles making a deposit, it may not be the online casinos fault so we always recommend that you contact the customer service as they can usually help walk you through the process.
