We’re following interesting online slots news this week, as Tribal Gaming could bring online gambling expansion in America and lead to more slots! If it happens, you can thank an agreement between the state of Florida and the Seminole Indians. And now a couple of US Congressmen have drafted a Federal bill that could change the whole online gambling industry!
Back in May the state of Florida reached an agreement with the Seminole Tribe which would allow them to offer mobile sports betting to residents there. And if you understand mobile gambling, then you also understand mobile gambling is online gambling. But what makes this deal so significant is that the Seminoles will be able to accept bets from anyone located anywhere in the state of Florida… even if they’re not on Tribal property… so long as the game servers are located on tribal property.
This has led to a federal lawsuit and at least two ballot initiatives aimed at stopping this agreement before it ever goes into effect. However, this week the federal government refused to block the deal, meaning that by default they approved it! If all goes well, Floridians could be placing mobile and online sports bets as early as mid-October… but what are the odds that all is going to go well, right? And while we wait to find out what happens with the lawsuit and the legal challenges, there are some in the US Congress that are getting involved.
Representatives from California and New York are working on bipartisan legislation to “remove federal barriers” that would allow Tribal Gaming to offer online slots and gambling within state borders… so long as the state and the tribe reach an agreement. Sound familiar? I thought it might. What makes this bill so important is that (just like in Florida) it allows Tribal Gaming to accept bets from players located anywhere within a state’s borders, so long as the gaming servers are physically located on tribal land. And that, my friends, is a very big deal.
For years there’s been this ongoing debate about where an online bet legally takes place. Is it where the player is located? Is it where the casino is located? Or is it where the servers are located? This bill would put an end to that ambiguity once and for all by legally defining that an online bet takes place on the server. This bill throws open the door for tribal gaming to accept bets for online slots and other games from anyone within a state… possibly even from anyone within the country. And who knows, maybe even beyond that!Fundamentally changing online gambling in America
