New Jersey is close to being the first state in the United States to have a real and solid chance at becoming the first state to explicitly legalize online casino gambling in hopes of keeping New Jersey’s weak casino industry afloat. However, these efforts could possibly cause some problems with the World Trade Organization. The online gambling bill would allow New Jersey residents and international players to enjoy online casino games in the state and may be passed before the end of 2010 even with the Federal government struggling with their own attempts to legalize some online gaming.
Despite some opposition, attempts to legalize online gambling throughout the entire country have had a great deal of support from individual lawmakers who hope to see online gambling legalized and taxed as a fair way to raise money and bridge widening budget gaps in their state. The possible issues with the World Trade Organization are in regards to the “international” player’s ability to gamble at these new legal casino sites since players from New Jersey are not allowed to play at foreign gambling establishments causing an unfair practice of the games. This might also cause tension in the international gambling community, which has always viewed the United States’ stance on online gambling as discriminatory and a violation of international agreements.
Some think that if you’re able to offer a product, in this case online casinos, to the world, then you have to be permissible in allowing the rest of the world to give back, meaning that when a state offers online gambling to the rest of the world, then you must allow residents to visit other offshore online casinos as well. However, the New Jersey bill is specific in stating just the opposite: it will let players from other countries to visit their online casino sites but it will not however allow their residents to place bets at any offshore gambling sites, which without a doubt raise some problems.
