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Many critics have stated that legalizing online gaming would be detrimental to land-based casinos. They argue that lawmakers should oppose any bill that would regulate any form of online gaming. However, a new statement from US Gaming Survey found that online gaming would most likely benefit casinos throughout the country.
US Gaming Survey conducted two polls of people in the casino industry. The vast majority of casino owners said they would not change the way they operated their casinos if online gaming was legalized. Jim Ryan, former CEO of Bwin.party, said that the changes won’t have nearly as much of an impact on the casino industry as people suggest. Most respondents also felt the new legislation would probably increase revenue for land-based casinos.
Proponents of online gaming legislation have stated that regulation would help them reach a number of new customers who currently are not participating in online gaming. Many younger respondents who do not currently gamble or purchase lottery tickets have said that they would do so if a bill was passed that made it legal.
Advocates said that there is no reason to fear online gaming would detract from the revenues of land-based casinos. Most people who visit land-based casinos are doing so for the experience. They would probably continue to do so even if they had the option of playing over the Internet instead. This position was validated by the respondents in the two surveys.
The online gaming community hopes that this new survey will encourage more lawmakers to support legislation that would enable citizens to play poker and other games over the Internet. US Gaming Survey is a well-respected research group with over 30 years of experience. Gaming advocates believe that their research will carry considerable weight for lawmakers considering legalizing online gaming.
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