Originally Posted on Sunday Nov 22 0:00:00 GMT 2009:
Whilst online gambling in New Zealand continues to enjoy good times, this is not the case in the USA, where they have had to cope with a ban imposed by the last administration.
As December approaches there appears to be no legislation in sight to stop the full force of the ban in the USA.
The press and President Obama have indicated that they believe the recession is on the way out. However, this is not the experience of the casino owners worldwide, who feel that it will take many years to recover.
The president of the American Gaming Association, Frank Fahrenkopf, thinks his land based casino membership may look closely at online casinos as the industry’s future.
He recently told an audience at the Global Gaming Expo that the gaming industry is facing a long road to recovery. Although the decline in revenue has slowed this is by no means the same as an increase, and he felt that recovery may be at least 4 years away.
Setting up and maintaining an online casino costs a fraction of a land based operation. In fact one Las Vegas operation has already set up an online poker arm through its Canadian division.
Although the AGA has in the past opposed online gambling there seems to be a softening of attitude. It is hoped that the AGA will discuss the reintroduction of online gambling and show support for new regulations.
None of this applies to online gambling in New Zealand where there continues to be a significant growth in spite of these economically challenging times.
