Varying national laws and online betting.
Introduction.
Being an activity carried out over the World Wide Web; online betting and gambling is accessible anywhere there is an internet connection. This has resulted in online betting and gambling being able to, by and large, circumvent any prohibitions relating to an individual nations laws regarding betting and gambling. This has led those countries who do seek to ban online betting and gambling; having to create various regulations to restrict and penalize the ability of any online betting and gambling websites, or companies working with them, trying to operate in their country.
Online betting and gambling in the USA.
Perhaps one of the biggest ironies is that the supposed “land of the free”, by 2006, had virtually made it illegal for anyone to even look at, let alone actually use, a betting or gambling website. This draconian level of censure was introduced due to an almost hysterical belief, from certain American politicians, that American citizens indulging in online betting and gambling would surely be ultimately involved in a criminal activity. As well as there being federal US laws on betting, there is also a miasma of state laws, which all combine to create a total confusion as to what may or may not be legal. However, in 2006 a federal law forbidding banks or finance houses from processing funds associated with online betting and gambling websites; in effect closed down the industry in the USA. In 2007, with the Presidential elections just 18 months away, a new law was introduced allowing the licensing of online betting sites that were offering ‘games of skill’. But, due to the complex system of state laws, if you’re in the USA, you might just want to establish how ‘legal’ it might be to actually play on one of those sites in that state!
Online betting and gambling in the UK.
For a country said to be full of ‘stiff upper lips’ the UK has a more relaxed and 21st century approach to online betting, if not gambling. More than likely with an eye to gathering tax revenues; the UK government is quite happy for internet betting websites to be domiciled in the UK. It does place the restriction that the company behind the website must hold a ‘bookmaking permit’, but that’s all. This concession to the online betting industry was granted as for many years now other electronic means of ‘placing bets’, ie the telephone, have existed. The same is not true for anyone wanting to have an internet gaming website hosted in the UK. They would be prosecuted, the main objection here being the risk that anyone under the age of 18 could access such a website. Although why the same doesn’t apply to ‘betting websites’ seems an anomaly! However, the interesting point here is that it is not illegal for a UK resident to gamble on a website hosted outside of the UK. Which I’d say is an even bigger anomaly.
The rest of the world an online betting and gambling laws.
No doubt the EU (European Union) Parliament would love to introduce Europe wide legislation on internet betting and gambling. However, the European Court of Justice is working towards standardizing EU member states laws on internet betting and gambling - along the lines of ensuring free-trade in the single market between its member nations. Recently both France and Germany have become more amenable to liberalizing their attitudes to the industry; the net result of which will be to leave the USA further behind in both its attitude and direction toward online betting and gambling. Not surprisingly the original West Indian islands that hosted online betting and gambling sites have objected to the World Trade Organization about the USA’s attitude toward the industry that they literally started. Whilst the case put forward by Antigua and Barbuda was found for them - the chances of them being able to trade and regain the business that’s been lost in the US market, seems small at present. Going to the other side of the world Australians are know to ‘like a bet’. Unfortunately whilst their government doesn’t prohibit its people from betting and gambling online it is an offence to provide online betting or gambling services to Australians - from anywhere in the world. In effect this has created a system without any teeth at all, as online providers simply set up their websites in countries without legal reciprocity to Australia.