I swear that here in the UK we used to have a far more casual attitude towards gambling and basically personal responsibility – with the assumption being that most people are able to self regulate and just treat betting as a bit of fun after a tough week. Now though barely a day goes by without talk of restrictions or negative publicity of one kind or another. There is a review of the 2005 Gambling Act under way by the UK government right now that will likely look to bring in additional rules too. While some of this is welcome, for your average joe who enjoys a flutter at the weekends, it’s all one big potential future inconvenience.
It’s interesting to see the juxtaposition between the direction that online gambling is going in the UK when compared to the US. Stateside there have long since been online restrictions to gambling in part due to sneaky additions to an unrelated ‘SAFE Port Act’ bill brought in under George W Bush (who attached the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act to it). At the same time though, and in part why such a law came to be in the first place (an attempt to by Las Vegas to monopolise) the USA is the home of Sin City. So there has been a rich history of the most hedonist gambling imagination, while at the same time online casino for usa citizens hasn’t always been so easy. Politics getting in the way of the people as per usual!
Things look set to change now though. In multiple states for both online casinos and also sports book, there has been a marked change in tone and it’s very much looking like the online landscape in this department will look very different in 3 or 4 years time than it currently does. States like Colorado, Indiana, New Hampshire and more have fully embraced online betting, with others not far behind!
So even though there’s a degree of pressure in the UK with regard to how gambling is perceived, it combines with a more relaxed outlook in some other countries, especially the USA. This creates a picture where at this point in time whether you enjoy playing real money online pokies, roulette, blackjack, poker or any number of other casino games, you’re probably more likely to be able to do so unhindered in this moment in time than any other. As such, enjoy!
