US federal online gambling bill “not there”

If you were at the G2E show last week and attended any of the discussion panels one thing was clear from almost every speaker is that federal law for online gambling is a long way in the distance.

The first day of G2E was all about discussions based on the industry and every one to a man (or woman) was certain that online gambling in the US will be pushed along by individual states as opposed to any federal law.

It is Congress that is the main stumbling block for any bill getting through, even the new head of the American Gaming Association Geoff Freeman said there is no chance of any movement in Washington by recently being quoted as saying, “Anyone who has been to Washington recently knows that the environment for getting a bill done is not there.”

To have a federal bill for online gambling pass any author would need the support of both the Democrats and Republicans in a bipartisan push to clear the house that is something that is not possible. There is little or no good will between the parties to get anything done let alone an online gambling bill that many Republicans would be against as their voters in many states are strongly opposed to gambling in any form.

However the light at the end of the online gambling tunnel is that on a state by state basis it is looking a great deal better. With some speakers believing that California, the biggest of all states in the US could pass a state bill legalizing online gambling or at least online poker in 2014.

That would be a huge boost for the fledgling industry in the US, with over 38 million residents in the state making it a must to get on board if there is to be major growth in online gambling.

There is also a lot of chatter about Illinois entering the sector, it has already voted down two online gambling bills, but supporters believe they have learnt a great deal from those attempts and are very confident that 2014 will bring success. With a population of over 12 million the state is fifth in the US in regards to population.

So although at a federal level there is no chance of a law coming till after the next presidential elections, by then as many as 10 states could be offering online gambling say observers close the industry in the US.