Any new online gaming legislation in the US will not bar the entry of foreign-based companies, Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, told iNTERGAMINGi.
Having initially been opposed to the reintroduction of online gaming, the AGA is now in favour of internet poker being legalised if technology is put in place to guard against underage gambling and fraud. Its board members, which include some of the largest land-based casino operators in the US, are now "unanimously in favour" of legal online poker services.
Some within the industry have expressed concern, however, that the new market will exclude foreign i-gaming companies to protect the interests of US-based businesses, namely the big Las Vegas casino operators.
Fahrenkopf does not believe that this will be the case. "We’re a free market and we live in a worldwide economy," he said. "I think there are going to be distinctions between those who got out of the market when UIGEA was passed and those who stayed in the market, but for those who are foreign-based and have never violated US law, I think they will be welcomed to the market."
