In somewhat of a mirror-opposite situation than what is happening in the United States at the moment, the Canadian government is wrestling with special-interest groups to get new legislature off the ground that would begin regulated online casinos to fund regional public works (in areas where government spending budgets have been financially drained). You read that right, the government wants online gambling to happen, and the citizens are against it! Well, of course not all the citizens, just the ones shouting the loudest it seems.
The Canadian Auto Workers Union, specifically, are the main opponents of the new legislation, particularly due to the fact that upwards of 7,000 Union workers are employed at live casino establishments in Canada. The Union is obviously concerned about jobs being lost when the online casino floodgates open, but instead of using that as their reason to oppose government regulated online casinos they proffer moralistic opinions about the “safety concerns” of online casinos. Apparently, it’s okay to get hooked on gambling at brick and mortar casinos, but online gambling? That’s entirely another story, and altogether more addictive, dangerous, and insidious of an institution.
No matter than only with online gambling do proceeds go towards actually improving the country (compared to proceeds going to rich fat cat casino owners in the real life versions!) The entire argument falls flat when you realize that the majority of United States-based online casino already market to Canadians, thus if the live casino market hasn’t already been cannibalized it’s unlikely to start with government-run Canadian casinos joining the online mix.
United States Poised to Vote on Online Casinos
Explanation of the current pro-internet gambling bill being voted on by the US House and Senate which needs the support of Nevada land casino supporters to feasibly pass.
It’s an exciting time to be a online casino/poker fan. The United States is on the cusp of passing a revolutionary pro-internet gambling bill, developed by Congressman Barney Frank, which calls for the regulation and full licensing of online gambling to the US. No longer would online casino players from America be forced to join gambling sites that are based off-shore, which effectively help funnel a large portion of citizens funds into other countries (and arguably aids in the growing economic turmoil of this country as money continues to leave the country without being replaced).
The Frank bill has passed through the House, and now is up against one of the biggest dangers to the online gambling proposition—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The Senate will generally vote however Reid does, and Reid is tied to certain special-interest groups—including the Nevada land casino industry and citizens who want to keep the wealth from Nevada casinos flowing into the state unfettered. Of course, many land casinos have realized that online gambling can be used to strengthen the industry as a whole, as well as being a great opportunity to market online components of land casino franchises to increase total revenue.
At this point, it’s unclear as to what the Nevada special-interest want to do with Frank’s bill, but with the passage through the House it’s a good sign that this time next year Americans will be enjoying online casino games based in the heart of the country!
