U.S. Internet Gambling Legislative Activity Reaches Historic High

According to U.S. Internet Gambling Regulatory Tracker, a new legislative monitoring service from GamblingCompliance Ltd., nine states have taken up legislation authorizing or prohibiting some combination of Internet poker and casino gaming in 2012, 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,” says Chris Krafcik, Research Director, North America, at GamblingCompliance.

In the last six months, state legislatures and Congress have shown greater interest in legalizing Internet gambling than prohibiting it. For perspective, of the 11 Internet gambling bills that were introduced during that period, 10 called for legalization and one for prohibition.

“U.S. Internet Gambling Regulatory Tracker is a tool that allows us to give our clients an objective, 30,000-foot 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 U.S. Internet wagers after 2006 from applying for licensure,” Krafcik says.

U.S. Internet Gambling Regulatory Tracker is currently monitoring developments in 19 states, but by calendar year end that number could well increase.

“With legislative activity at a historic high, the time to get eyes and ears on the U.S. Internet gambling market is clearly now,” Krafcik says.

Click here for more information on the U.S. Internet Gambling Regulatory Tracker, and download an executive summary here.