Corrupt Online Gambling Sites Emerging Thanks To UIGEA

When the US passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, resident players were given two options - stop enjoying a private pastime, or find another way to continue gambling over the Internet. It has already been proven that the second option is highly in use; the problem is how US players are being forced to go about it.

Before the UIGEA, the gambling industry was well regulated. Google, in particular, was able to weed out any corrupt online casinos and poker rooms - those who didn't pay accounts, or forced malicious viruses and software onto their user's computers. The search engine uses many varieties of criteria to ensure undesirable web sites do not make it anywhere near the top of their database, if indeed they are listed at all.

As many of you are aware, Google is the most utilized search engine in the United States, making up around 80% of US searches. By this reasoning, it would be safe to say that 80% of the online casinos and online poker rooms searched for by US players are found on Google. By weeding out sites that have received complaints, sites that do not pay their advertising bills (most likely not to pay players either), sites with malicious software/content, etc... the Internet had finally become a predominantly safe venue for the gambling community.

In addition, affiliates of the online gambling market, who make their living by promoting online poker and casino web sites, will not advertise for a site who is not reputable. Affiliates are the first to learn of corrupt web sites, as it is their business to research, understand and accurately promote them; not to mention a corrupt gambling site won't likely bother to pay the affiliate, resulting in their post-haste boot from the affiliate's web site. Therefore, any white-label affiliate site found on a Google search is highly unlikely to offer a single corrupt gambling site.

Unfortunately, by enacting the UIGEA, the US shut off their citizens from the reputable side of the industry, re-opening the doors to corrupt online gambling operations. The industry is slowly creeping back into the shady vision it was over a decade ago, before the Internet became advanced enough to thwart such activities. Reports of malicious software, player payments never received and spam running rampant like bees in a smokehouse, are being heard left and right.

The only foreshadowed solution to this growing problem is US regulation of the industry. Should this eventually be the case, we will have seen the US do what it does best - come in, cause a huge problem, then "fix it" while make lots of money in the process. Can you say "ironic", boys and girls?

A better, and certainly faster solution would be to dissolve the UIGEA altogether. Throw it out and let the industry return to the peaceful, secure, well oiled machine it was post-UIGEA.