Just weeks after federal authorities cracked down on online poker, officials in Washington D.C. plan to launch the country’s first online casino. However, are their plans legal? According to a report in The Washington Post, some D.C. officials and industry insiders are not so sure.
Despite the recent crackdown, authorities in D.C. are confident that the proposed casino will not violate federal restrictions on Internet gambling as officials plan to keep business within city limits. However, The Post reports that the office of the chief financial officer, Natwar M. Gandhi, has said there is “no consensus” on the legality of the proposed casino which will begin accepting cash bets on Texas hold ‘em, blackjack, and bingo this September.
Some, like finance committee chairman Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), said they were not even aware of the gambling legislation which passed last year after Council member Michael A. Brown slipped the provision into a budget bill.
“We didn’t even know it was in there,” Evans said. “This was requested to be put into a supplemental budget back in December, without any hearing, without any notice, without any anything.”
Even if the new casino does see the light of day, players will face a number of restrictions which may not prove popular among gambling enthusiasts. Visitors to the online casino must set up an account to play, for example, and there will be a weekly deposit limit of $250. Players must also be 19 years old or older and physically located in Washington D.C. Online monitoring, and shutdown, of players is also possible.
“We’re in it to make money. We’re in it to create revenue for the city. We’re trying to do it in a way that’s most responsible,” Buddy Roogow told The Washington Post. “We will not seek to create games in which a livelihood could be won or lost in one hand.”
Roogrow is executive director of the lottery agency leading the District’s effort to create an online casino.
What do you think of Washington D.C.’s proposed online casino? A good way for cash-starved cities to earn extra income or a shameless attempt to legalize online gambling?
Source: The Washington Post
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