Regulated VS Non-regulated Online Casinos In The US
Gambling is an old activity. Its origin can be traced as far as the Paleolithic period, even before any recording of history existed. It was said that games involving a die with multiple faces occurred during the Mesopotamian time, which can date back as early as 3,000BC. In our time, gambling had been a widely accepted activity and most countries have no problem legalizing it. However, laws and regulations in the United States can be tricky and sometimes, even confusing.
For a long time, the US gambling industry had been regulated through the Federal Wire Act. Since this law was drafted long before the existence of the internet, it lacked specific provisions involving online activities. To that, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was the answer, and it became the basis for regulated US online casinos and other forms of gambling done online. However, these laws’ powers are only federal in effect, which means that each state can still pass and implement its own rules in its respective area of jurisdiction.
With that, there are two types of online casinos you can find in the US: regulated and unregulated ones. What are the differences between each other? Is it still safe to play even an online casino is “unregulated?” Here are the things you need to know.
What is a regulated online casino?
Understanding the concept of a regulated casino is simple and easy, as it can be simply defined shortly: an online gambling site that operates and serves customers in a country or state that has existing laws and regulations controlling them.
For a casino to be regulated, they have to be legal in operation–which means they need to have the complete paperwork of all the licenses, certifications, and permits. Also, they need to make sure that their operations comply with the specific regulations that are governing them.
One thing you should remember is that all regulated casinos are legal, but not all legal casinos are regulated. How can that be? This is where unregulated casinos come in.
What is an unregulated online casino?
Most people have the common misconception that an unregulated casino an illegal and unlicensed one is the same thing. Some think that being “unregulated” means these sites and apps are not bound by any law. However, its real definition is not as simple as that. An unregulated casino, most of the time, is still a legal operation, although it treads the grey area of being in a place where online gambling is fully legal and it is in a place where online gaming is deemed illegal.
In a simpler term, an unregulated online casino is one that operates in a country or states that does not have existing laws to regulate online gambling, yet do not have any laws prohibiting it either/ This puts the operator of the site or app in a state of being free–in a way–that they are not scrutinized and given any close attention by any authority. As long as they have accomplished legal business papers, they are good to go.
While most people often find the terms “offshore casino” and unregulated casino the same and interchangeable, it is not the case. Although most offshore casinos are unregulated ones, not all unregulated sites are offshore in operation. An offshore casino is a site or app that operates in countries that are favorites for unregulated gambling services, such as Antigua, Belize, and Costa Rica. These operations serve customers outside of their base countries such as the US, Europe, and some parts of Asia.