What is Online Gamling?

Online Gamling is a form of gambling that takes place over the Internet. It consists of web-based platforms (also called online casinos), where you can play casino games, like blackjack, roulette and poker, or bet on sports. You need a computer or smartphone, a reliable internet connection and money to place your bets.

Legality and Licensing Issues

Online Gambling is regulated by national or state governments, usually through gaming commissions or boards. The laws that govern online gambling vary widely, and are subject to change as new technology develops.

Lawmakers in the United States first attempted to regulate online gambling in 1996, when Bob Goodlatte and Jon Kyl introduced bills that would curb Internet wagering except for horse and dog races and state lotteries. These bills never passed.

Several companies have paid large fines for accepting money to market illegal offshore and online gambling activities. One, an Internet financial services company, was forced to pay $10 million in 2003.

Governments in other countries have resorted to economic penalties against these companies, such as taxing their profits or seizing their assets. Antigua and Barbuda, for example, filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization in 2004 about U.S. restrictions on online gambling, claiming that the American laws violated WTO free trade agreements.

Problem gambling among Internet gamblers is more common than in land-based settings and has similar behavioural features to alcohol and substance use disorders. However, the emergence of pathological Internet gambling is not well explained by traditional conceptual models, and further research is needed to better identify, screen and act on early risk indicators.