The legality of online gambling has been a hotly debated issue

ever since the first Internet casinos opened their virtual

doors in 1994. Casino gambling used to be a fairly

straightforward issue; there were certain places where it was

legal to gamble, such as in the state of Nevada or Atlantic

City, New Jersey, and places where it was not legal to gamble.

Period.

Enter Internet casinos and online gambling. Governments in most

countries have had a hard time keeping up with Internet legal

issues, and online gambling has been no exception. The first

Internet casinos were based in places such as Barbuda and

Antigua in the Caribbean, and since they were based in these

places, the Free Trade and Processing Zone Act protected them.

Basically, they were considered offshore casinos, which were

perfectly legal. Being Internet casinos, however, people from

almost anywhere in the world were able to gamble at these

casinos from home, and the legalities suddenly became a cloudy

issue.

It is illegal to set up an Internet casino based in the United

States, but is it illegal for someone in the United States to

gamble online at an Internet casino that is based where it is

legal? The U.S. Wire Wager Act makes it illegal to use any

electronic wire method to transmit bets or gambling winnings to

any place where gambling is not allowed. The Internet is

considered an electronic wire method. Yet, in this case the

criminal would be the casino, and the United States can’t

really prosecute someone in another country. So the area

remains gray. Most, if not all, Internet Casinos make each

gambler who registers with them check a box that claims they

have read the ‘terms of use’ agreement, which includes a

statement that says it is the responsibility of the gambler to

know their local Internet gambling laws.

Some of the countries that allow Internet casinos to set up

base are Australia, South Korea, Germany, France, and some

parts of Canada. More than 70 countries allow Internet

gambling, with different rules and guidelines in each

individual country.

The bottom line is: Internet Casinos are most likely here to

stay for the long run, and as long as they are here, people are

going to gamble at them. Legal or moral issues aside, Internet

casinos are a fact of life, and many people find online

gambling enjoyable and entertaining.