No one should be surprised by this, but a study has come out that confirms our greatest fears...or expectations...that a big chunk of online casino and poker website owners are cheats themselves. Don´t forget, that Party Poker itself was founded by an ex-porno magnate who herself has a dubious history with the law.
One of the myriad of problems caused by the United States' continuing attempts to prohibit online gambling and shut down online casinos is the unintended consequence that remaining online operators tend to be less scrupulous.
A study by Professor Juan Manuel, a Guatemalan expert in business development, has found that 15% of online casino owners have a criminal record. The studt determined this via a random sampling of 119 owners.
By trying to cast all online gambling activity as criminal, the U.S. has encouraged an unsavory element to assume ownership of many online casinos. Men like Calvin Ayre, sporting lengthy histories of legal shenanigans, take advantage of opportunities law-abiding citizens may regretfully decline.
Just as prohibition of alcohol did not prevent drinking, but rather created a class of vicious robber barons, prohibition of online gambling has given great wealth to untrustworthy men.
Regulation would ensure honesty and fairness in play, avoiding unseemly scandals such as the recent cheating discovered at UltimateBet and AbsolutePoker. It would also bring in a huge source of tax revenue, rather than spending millions prosecuting dubious cases.
There is no doubt online gaming is an expanding and growing business. The United States could solve the issues listed above and placate their trade partners, all by simply enacting a reasonable plan for regulation.