Florida Soon To Legalize Online Casino
Due to laws in the United States and specific states, online casino gambling was considered illegal and off limits. That did not prevent US citizens from engaging in illegal online games and their money is essentially going to overseas companies.
It has long been rumored that the state of Florida could be one of the first in the nation to legalize online casino. On Friday, Representative Joseph Abruzzo filed the Internet Poker Consumer Protection and Revenue Generation Act of 2010.
The legislation outlines a fully regulated system of online gambling in the state. If approved by lawmakers, Florida would be the first state to use rules from the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) of 2006 to help legalize online casino.
The UIGEA was put in place by US lawmakers back in December 2006 with the intent of ridding the country of online gambling. In the years that have followed, the industry has grown instead of shrunk.
One area of the UIGEA allows for states to lawfully regulate and conduct intrastate Internet gambling, such as poker. Representative Joseph Abruzzo’s legislation, which was filed Friday, takes advantage of that clause.
The bill filed Friday would allow for online casino operators to run the online poker sites. In order to gain a license, hub operators would have to be chosen by the state, and some strict guidelines are outlined.
Over the past few years the US government, as well as specific state governments have started to take notice of the online gaming world. They are slowly starting to warm up to the idea of allowing online casino games to be operated in the United States and states where gambling is legal. The allotment of online casino games could generate billions of dollars in revenue for state and federal government.
Recently in the state of Florida, a bill was proposed to allow online casino games such as poker or Texas hold’em to be operated online in a state regulated online casino sites. At the time of the bill being presented, online slot games were not included but could be added into the bill in later years.
The bill proposes that the state regulate a hub where those who wish to run a poker room must pay a licensing fee. While those that wish to be a part of the affiliate program would pay less than the operating company.
Safeguard measures would be put into place to ensure that users are of a legal age to gamble as well as making sure that money changes hands properly, and documents the ability to block and limit how often a player plays.
Once the online poker site is set up, there are also strict rules in Representative Joseph Abruzzo’s proposal. The minimum gambling age would be twenty-one, and safeguards against any form of money laundering must be in place. The online casino operators must also fully insure the all software being used is up to regulation standards.
It is estimated that one million Florida residents take part in illegal offshore gambling each year. By passing this bill, the state of Florida could generate over 200 million dollars in one year, with the possibility of it growing by 100 million every year.
