The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was introduced in 2006 and has since made it very difficult for state officials interested in online gambling to do anything about it. Iowa has, however, come up with something that just might work.
Iowa representatives acknowledge that people will continue to gamble online whether it is illegal for them to do so or not. They believe that offering the option of regulated online gambling will make people stop breaking the law while they go about their extra-curricular activities. More importantly, they do not believe that regulated online gambling will breed an increase in gambling addiction because those people would be gambling one way or another.
Iowa state representatives argue that, with 17 land-based casinos, it is a gambling state and the addition of online gambling is a logical step. With the UIGEA banning banks from processing any payments to and from online casinos, coming up with a way around it has proved tricky; they have, however, come up with a temporary solution.
Players would have to go into one of Iowa’s 17 land-based casinos and open up an account. After depositing money into that account they would be able to access the online version of the casino and place bets using the money. Unfortunately, when it comes to withdrawing funds the player would have to physically go to the casino to do so. It is inconvenient that players have to go to the casino every time they want to deposit money or collect their winnings and sort of defeats the purpose of gambling online, but still provides the comfort of being able to gamble from the comfort of your own home. Until a decision is made concerning the UIGEA, this appears to be the best option for players.
