Ongoing Struggles in Kentucky for Online Casino Operators

Submitted by Gary on Mon, 2010-03-22 at 19:46

Legislators in Kentucky made a decision that would help them identify online casinos that were operating illegally. As online gambling is illegal under the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), any operators accepting players from any state in the US would be doing so illegally.

Kentucky officials decided to remedy the situation by forcing operators to come forward and claim their online casinos or their domain names would be seized and shut down. This would mean that they would lose their client base and have to start from the beginning. Claiming a casino, however, means that the operators would face some consequences for admitting to break the law.

Understandably, online casino operators have been hesitant to make a decision about while they decide which scenario would be the least harmful to their business. In response to the lack of response to their ultimatum, Kentucky legislators have imposed a three-week time limit for operators to make their decision.

Kentucky’s attempt at bullying the online casino industry is being met with scorn from others who claim to be trying to run a business. The problem is that until the UIGEA is overthrown, allowing players from the US is illegal and leaves operators open to consequences like this. The state of Kentucky and any others, who are in agreement with the anti-gambling campaign, insist that this is in the best interest of the people. This brings up the age-old question of whether US citizens should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding online gambling.