美国在线玩家的希望

　　美国玩家继续希望政府会改变立场，允许投注在线赌场，例如扑克和宾果等赌博游戏网站。

　　英国政府选择通过宏观调控手段来控制网上赌场的市场，还在其海岸上拥有此行业中的一些大牌，如立博和必发，相比之下，美国政府对网上赌场行业采取了沉重的手段，并试图禁止使公司非法接受美国公民的投注。美国政府的这些措施曾在一定程度上影响了网上赌博行业的发展，但赌博行业在美国仍然欣欣向荣，美国的网上赌场主要在加勒比和南美洲经营。

　　不久前，一些美国网上赌场推出Microgaming，其中包括知名品牌，如Riverbelle。

　　关于网上赌场的谣言四处飞溅。美国某一个州的代表艾伦试图引进一项决议，决定是否允许网上赌博合法化。该决议被送往布什政府。造成美国所有在线玩家头痛的是，非法互联网赌博执行法案（UIGEA）为通过的该项决议。

　　与此同时，欧洲委员会（EC）回应最近由远程博彩协会（RGA）提出的申诉。RGA声称，美国对国外的网络赌场和扑克的公司存在不公平的歧视。PartyPoker共同创始人和其主要股东阿努拉格Dikshit，已承认违反美国法律所界定的规定，并同意支付美国政府300万美元。他还将面临最高两年徒刑。

　　在此，RGA指出，“这些事件表明，即将卸任的美国政府和司法部完全无视欧洲网络游戏公司和它们的利益相关者的合法权益。”

　　所以，奥巴马政府会不会对网上赌场合法化呢？他也许会，但问题是，这个问题像信贷紧缩，像汽车业在中东发炎的情况。因此，不要指望一个方向的变化太快。

　　合法的在线游戏将推动美国网上赌场的营销地带。美国在线玩家的希望不远了。

　　译文：

　　US Online Casino Players hope for a fresh start for 2009

　　Well, it?s 2009 and players in the US continue to hope that there will be changes in its government?s stance towards making bets online at casino, poker and bingo sites.

　　Unlike the UK government which has opted to control the online casino market through regulation and which boasts some big names in the industry （such as Ladbrokes and Betfair） within its shores, the US government has taken a heavy handed approach to the industry and has tried to ban it by making it illegal for companies to accept bets from US citizens. This has worked to a certain extent, but there still remains several companies that operate out of the Carribean and South America that continue to target the US.

　　Although a big name pulled out recently （Microgaming which include famous brands such as Riverbelle and Spin Palace） casinos such as Lucky 18, Rushmore and Golden casinos continue to take new US players online.

　　Rumours are flying that Utah State Representative Sheryl Allen is trying to introduce a Resolution that lays the decision as to whether or not to accept online gambling on to the individual states. The act that was rushed through by the Bush administration that caused all the headaches for US players online was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act （UIGEA）。 The new resolution would defer this to state and tribal laws in deciding what is legal. So there is a situation in which a US federal law, the UIGEA, says the state laws will govern it. Confusing at best, given all the ways that you could skin a cat on this one.

　　Meanwhile, the European Commission （EC） has recently responded to a complaint filed by the Remote Gambling Association （RGA）。 The RGA claims the United States is unfairly discriminating against foreign internet casino and poker firms. The US has already been fighting this one out with Antigua which plays host to a big online gambling industry. And on the other side of the bars, PartyPoker Co-Founder and major shareholder Anurag Dikshit, has admitted to breaking US law as defined by the Wire Act and has agreed to pay the U.S. Government a total of $300 million. He faces up to two years in prison.

　　On this, the RGA noted, “These events show that the outgoing U.S. administration and the Department of Justice have shown a total disregard for the legal rights of European online gaming companies and their stakeholders.”

　　So will the new Hawaiian broom in the shape of Obama bring in a new approach to this situation? No doubt he will, but the problem is that this issue has some heady priorities sitting above it- like the credit crunch, health, the car industry and an inflamed situation in the Middle East. So don?t expect a change in direction too soon. There?s no timeline on it right now, but many industry watchers expect the giants of the land based casino world in Las Vegas to wake up and smell the coffee when they are looking at the business potential online. Once they start lobbying, things may start moving quicker than you think.

　　Some of the big names on The Strip are already starting to see this as an opportunity. With years of customer recognition behind them and more contacts on Capitol Hill than you can shake a stick at, the big casinos, who once feared that online gambling would take away players, would be firmly in the driving seat. If the law changes in the USA, existing casinos would be first in the queue at the casino licence department before companies from overseas: the likes of MGM and Harrah’s could really clean up.

　　Legal online gaming would give a boost to the marketing of the Strip casinos. Watch this space, as they say Stateside.