US online gambling legislative activity has reached an historic high and is set to increase further, it has been reported.
According to US Internet Gambling Regulatory Tracker, a new legislative monitoring service from GamblingCompliance, nine states so far this year have taken up legislation authorising or prohibiting some combination of online poker and casino gaming, which is up from seven states in 2011.
“With 19 state legislatures and Congress still in session, this calendar year - during which more states have considered internet gambling legislation than any other in history - could yield even more legislative activity,” said Chris Krafcik, research director North America at GamblingCompliance.
In the last six months, state legislatures and Congress have shown greater interest in legalising online gambling than prohibiting it. Of the 11 online gambling bills that were introduced during that period, 10 called for legalisation and one for prohibition.
“US Internet Gambling Regulatory Tracker is a tool that allows us to give our clients an objective, 30,000ft view of the emerging American online gambling market in real time. Just a quick look at our Regulatory Tracker updates reveals that four states are considering whether to enter into interstate internet gambling compacts, while, at the same time, two states are considering whether to preclude businesses that took US internet wagers after 2006 from applying for licensure,” said Krafcik. “With legislative activity at a historic high, the time to get eyes and ears on the US internet gambling market is clearly now.”
