American Gaming Association May Talk Online Gaming

The December first deadline looms closer day by day and as yet there is no legislation in sight to stop the full force of the ban on online gambling in the USA being implemented. As the press and president Obama are suggesting we believe the recession is on it’s way out and the good times are starting to roll once more. Las Vegas hotel and casino owners are not as optimistic. The slump in casino revenues and hotel visits is expected to take a few years yet to recover, according to the president of the American Gaming Association who also says his land-based casino membership may look closely at online casinos as the industry’s future.

President of the terra based American Gaming Association, Frank Fahrenkopf, Jr., told an audience at the Global Gaming Expo that, "Without a doubt, the gaming industry is facing a long road to recovery," He pointed out that just because the decline in revenues has slowed considerably, is not the same as increases, adding the return to figures to the same level as before the recession may be as far away as four years from now.

The cost of setting up an online casino and maintaining it is a fraction of a land based operation, the new age gamblers likes the online accessibility which land based casinos are now seeing as a possible revenue source. Harrah's arguably Las Vegas’s largest gambling operations has already prepared an online poker arm, through it’s new interactive division based in Canada.

The AGA membership has opposed online gambling for a long time but now as the stakes get higher the membership is going into survival mode and the stance of the membership has softened during the tough times during the last year or so. Fahrenkopf has noted there is more of a balanced approach within the organization. It is hoped that the AGA will discuss the reintroduction of online gambling within the USA and possibly get behind and show real support for new legislation regulating gambling online.