Will Slots Licensing be Relaxed for USA Online Casinos?

December 19, 2011

Odd things can happen if an affluent person makes contact with the right people in the right places. Money changes hands, promises are made and strange things tend to occur.

For example, let’s take a look at the situation which was faced by Dan Gilbert, who is the chairman of Rock Gaming, as well as being one of the major stakeholders in the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. He faced a problem, one which most people would consider to be insurmountable. He needed a gambling license for his newly launched slots casino Caesar’s Entertainment. However, in 1981 he was convicted of running an illegal sports betting operation, and also of threatening harm to members of his clientele who owed him money in the form of gambling debts.

He should have been disbarred from receiving a gambling license under current gambling legislation when he opened the casino in 2009. However, in September of this year, Maryland officials decided that preventing such a high profile investor from opening a slots casino in the area would not be in the best interests of local commerce. In an unprecedented move, the State of Maryland has relaxed its own laws, and granted Dan Gilbert a gaming license.

In light of recent happenings both in the USA and Europe, which seem to indicate that Western governments are beginning to target online casinos and their customers in some form of legislative and taxation overhaul, this is quite a shocking thing to happen.

If a potential real world casino operator, with a history of criminal (and aggressive) activity in the gambling arena is cleared by the State of Maryland to begin operating a legitimate slots casino, then how can the US Government justify cracking down on casinos which offer online slots play?

One cannot help but wonder what the situation would be if a person with a similar criminal record were to apply for a license to operate an online slots casino? In theory, now the precedence has been set, this should be possible. However, unless they happen to be connected in the same way as Dan Gilbert, it’s an odds on bet they would not be granted one.

Other Recent News Added to 777 Online Slots