International Gambling Laws

• The internet has sparked new controversies with regard to international gambling.gambling image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
  
  Gambling provides an enjoyable pastime for many people around the world. Issues surrounding international laws and gambling have sparked the need for a summit to be held in 2010. There are however already some laws which aim to govern international gambling and the companies that provide those services.
  
  

Nevada Gaming Commission

• Online gambling is one of the biggest issues with regard to international gambling. It is a key service that prospective suppliers wish to offer and a difficult one for lawmakers to potentially regulate. Nevada recently passed a law which allowed remote gambling from people's Blackberries.. The catch however is that the gambler must be within the state's physical borders to do it. Seeing as Nevada is one of the world's most renowned gambling centers, this limited legal access to on-line gambling very well may serve as a precedent for similar locations world-wide.
  
  

The UK

• Internet betting, especially lotteries, is one of the most accessible and popular gaming practices around the world. As the demand for "e-gambling" has increased, nations have handled it differently. The UK for example does not yet have any formal laws regulating on-line gambling within its borders. Instead, the UK seems to grant itself minimal controls through the very high taxes it places on these activities. But these taxes have prompted some companies to move abroad where they are legally licensed and where British voters can bet tax-free on-line. British lawmakers are currently in a position where their lack of regulations is sponsoring a huge loss in potential income as companies leave the country.
  
  

Liechtenstein and Finland

• Two other interesting examples are Finland and Liechtenstein. Finland was the first nation to get their national lottery on the net but they, like many other countries that have followed suit, only open it to their own citizens by law. Liechtenstein "placed heavy restrictions" on its neighbors Austria and Switzerland when it went on-line with the lottery in 1995. By all appearances, these restrictions have either loosened or are not heavily enforced. The website for the lottery not only lacks any mention of them, but also includes translations for multiple other world languages such as English.
  
  

The Future?

• As is shown by the Nevada case, the United States' process for allowing on-line gambling both domestically and internationally may proceed from being a state's issue to a federal one. In different national contexts, there is already some variety as to how international gambling is viewed, prohibited or tacitly allowed. As it stands, even if there are restrictions in many countries, those making the laws are having difficulty crafting "coherent policies." The future thus seems to hold any and all possibilities for one of humanity's favorite outlets.