Nevada casinos 'could benefit' from end of US online gaming ban
Posted by Sarah Banks on 24 Aug 2009 at 15:08
Casinos based in Nevada, US, could be ready to soften their attitude towards online gambling as they bid to find a way towards recovery, according to reports.
Land-based casinos have traditionally been opposed to online expansion, seeing it as a threat to their operations.
But now a number of big firms including Harrah's Entertainment have begun to look towards an expected overturn of the American ban on online gaming, Casino Gambling Web reports.
Should America overturn the ban, many firms could look to Nevada's big corporations for guidance- the state already has a robust legislative structure in place and is used to running a licensing system. This could be the basis for a model which could be applied to internet gambling, according to the site.
Representative Barney Frank has drawn up new laws which would not only legalise internet gambling but also regulate it. They have not yet been discussed by the full house because attention has been drawn towards the ongoing economic slump.
Casino Gambling Web quoted observer Chris Drank as saying: "Frank has said that he plans on moving forward with the legislation in the Fall, but it looks unlikely that will occur with many pressing issues in the country still up in the air.
"The more likely scenario is that Congress will look at the online gambling sometime early next year."
As a result the once-uneasy relationship between land-based casinos in the likes of Nevada and online companies could soften - and some of the traditional giants struggling in Las Vegas could find the turnaround is of benefit to them.
