Iowa could make online gambling history
Posted by Carl Barnett on 03 Mar 2010 at 15:03
For the first time in Internet history, there may soon be a US state that allows online gambling.
Iowa is considering introducing online gambling to some degree, with lawmakers considering their options as to how to best manage it so that it brings positive results.
Eight lawmakers in the state are currently putting together a proposal that will recommend that online gambling be part of the state’s commercial infrastructure, with plans for regulation already outlined.
The Republican Doug Struyk is part of the team of lawmakers that is debating the question of having online gambling in Iowa.
At Drake University on Friday, the Republican said that there were ‘50,000 people’ who currently live in Iowa and indulge in some form of Internet gambling activity at home.
He also outlined the basic principles of the plan that the team is putting together.
Players would be entitled to bet online, with the facility to deposit between $50 and $500 at one of Iowa’s casinos.
This same account could then be the portal for players to bet online with.
However, betting would only be possible from an Iowa Internet address, and players from outside the state would be prevented from playing.
