Gambling online is any type of gambling conducted online. This includes online casinos, live casinos and poker gambling. The first web-based gambling venue opened for the public, was ticketing at the Liechtenstein International Poker Festival in 1994. Other firsts in online gambling include online sports betting and progressive slot machines.
As the world becomes a global village, online gambling has spread across international borders with relative ease. Several European countries like United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Portuguese Islands, all have some form of law that regulates online gambling. In most cases these laws are quite similar to that of the US, with some differences in the taxation and regulation procedures. All the legalized gambling sites in these European countries operate through licensed brokers and are bound by strict regulatory standards and practices.
In most states, especially those that are deeply involved in the recreational business, the government plays an active role in regulating gaming. There are many countries that have developed elaborate systems of regulation for both gambling online and sports betting. For example, in many states it is illegal to operate a sports betting house without a license from the state. Similarly, the provision of services is controlled by many states through licensing schemes and licenses. A recent study found that there are almost 5 million Americans under the age of 18 who are actively participating in online gambling.
The supreme court of the united states has held that gambling online and through online websites is a matter of interstate commerce, which is subject to the laws of the states in which the gambling online takes place. There is a case in Texas against an internet gambling website. The court found that the website, which had registered itself as a website for gambling online, had actually not operated within the state of Texas. The case was decided by the lower court and affirmed by the supreme court.
Many nations throughout the world have created their own laws on how people can operate online gambling. Many of these laws have been incorporated into U.S. federal law. For example, the recently enacted United States Federal Law prohibits the creation or operation of an online gambling website that accepts any sort of upfront payment or wager, including through credit cards. Further, the law specifically states that all U.S. residents are prohibited from assisting or participating in any kind of transaction that would involve illegal gambling, regardless of whether or not the transaction is conducted over a computer or internet. Similarly, the U.S. federal law prohibits gambling online through a credit card or electronic transfer of funds, regardless of the type of transaction. These kinds of laws have been incorporated into U.S. federal law by virtue of being enacted by Congress.
The internet has significantly changed the way that people engage in online gambling. Previously, people were able to set up websites in foreign countries with little concern. However, this has now changed. Due to a large increase in the amount of people setting up websites for gambling online, many jurisdictions have imposed new restrictive measures that have been implemented in order to shut down these sites.
