Review of the USA gaming laws

Review of the USA gaming laws

Gambling is considered to be legally restricted in the USA. However, its accessibility and participation is increasing very fast. The revenues grow steadily throughout the country, as well.

In addition, gambling may provide wide employment opportunities and tax revenues.

Issues of legality

Gambling is considered to be legal according to the federal USA law; however each of the USA states is free to regulate it or even ban. Usually the state can allow particular type of gambling, like national lotteries, for example. Gambling legality depends on the local state laws greatly and, thus, may vary from the state to state.

Speaking about the casino type of gambling, it is less widespread and more likely to be prohibited by the law. Nevada is the only official state, where the gambling is quite legal and profitable business. However, both local authorities and the state impose on the strict zone restrictions and licensing of the gambling activities. As far as the other states are concerned, they allow casino style gambling in the small areas like New Jersey, Mississippi, Tunica, Atlantic City, etc. In Native American reservations the gambling is allowed, as well. Native Americans, as far as they are considered to be the sovereign nations managed to use legal protection to get casino license for the casino opening that has become quite disputable political issue in the USA. It is interesting to know that in some states of America the casinos are restricted to the huge "river boats." They are considered to be the multi storey ships that are situated on water near the close large cities without permanent mooring in the water body.

Commercial gambling houses

Casinos called commercial gambling establishments are usually run by the private owners, companies in the non-Indian jurisdiction. There are known to be nineteen states in The USA and one US Territory that resort to commercial casino authorization to some extent. These sates are Colorado, Delaware, California, Illinois, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Washington.

For the period of 2006, nearly 450 commercial gambling establishments in the total produced amount reached the level of approximately 34, 11 billion dollars of pure income.

States with repealed gambling

In 2000, July the first, new law was introduced in the state of South Carolina, where the possessions, operation and also ownership of the video poker machines in both commercial and personal purposes ware claimed to be illegal. The only legal gambling style remained sure thing the Education Lottery of South Carolina.