Regulation of Internet Gambling

The legality of Internet gambling in the United States is very complicated, but a good resource is Cornell University's legal site. There have been many bills introduced or passed, including the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, and the Internet Gambling and Tax Enforcement Act. The 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was confusing to many because it didn’t make online gambling illegal, but it made it illegal for payment companies to process the money from gambling activities. This act led to a heavy decline in online poker playing in the United States. This law still allows for other types of Internet gambling including online lotteries and Internet betting on horse races.

Many people are focus the financial and social aspects of Internet gambling when they argue against it in Congress. They claim that it can be an invisible addiction until the person is in deep debt and their life is ruined. A famous quote regarding online gambling is, “You just click the mouse ad lose your house.”  Internet gambling is a very complicated topic in the United States and the legality of it is different in every state. New bills and laws are made frequently to control and regulate Internet gambling.