Government Looking into UIGEA Regulation

As the government continues to try and crack down on online gaming in the United States, a federal investigation has been launched to determine if any Las Vegas casinos are dealing directly with online casinos to offer services.

Under the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (or UIGEA), it’s illegal for online gambling and poker rooms to operate in the United States, but there dozens of such companies that operate offshore and accept U.S. players.

Recently, the government began an investigation in Washington State to determine if American-owned and operated casinos were working with the online casino and poker rooms, which would be a violation of the UIGEA. That probe has been expanded to include Las Vegas casinos that the government apparently believes have developed relationships with online casinos; relationships like that might violate the online gambling laws.

One casino that experts believe might be center to the probe is Harrah’s Casino, which owns the World Series of Poker tour. The tour features players who have qualified to play through online tournaments and other online events. Through the relationships Harrah’s has developed with the online casinos, it partners with them to create tournaments to help players qualify and that might be the element that has drawn the attention of the government.