NCLGS Proposes Unified Nationwide Online Gaming Standards
As we slowly but surely move toward the legalization of online gaming, opposition is growing. However, one group has stepped up to propose some unified standards. The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) published the first draft of a policy that establishes a model for states that are seeking to regulate online gaming. Numerous stakeholders in the industry have helped the NCLGS with this draft, including the American Gaming Association, the National Indian Gaming Association, and the National Council on Problem Gambling.
One of the biggest issues when it comes to legalizing online gaming is the fact that it isn’t truly regulated, and this draft aims to correct that. The draft tackles numerous topics, including the regulatory issues surrounding the licensing of remote gambling, which is a huge point of contention, and covers every issue from the protection of each individual player to the processing of payments, such as credit cards and Bitcoin.
As you can imagine, the NCLGS is firmly against the bill that wants to ban online gaming. Like others that oppose the bill, they believe the extra revenue that online gaming can generate will only be beneficial to the states. They believe that a set of regulatory standards, such as the ones they proposed, will lead to higher acceptance from the general public in regards to online gaming.
One thing that they do believe, though, is that the responsibility of online gambling in each states lies with the state, not the government. They believe that any interference by the federal government is an infringement of states’ rights.
Among the huge issues in this draft is player protection. As we move forward with putting nearly every single detail of our lives on the Internet, it becomes increasingly important to offer a secure means of gaming online. With sites offering incentives as no deposit bonus codes, sites should expect a significant amount of new players, which makes protecting data more important than ever. The standards put forth by the NCLGS includes the issue of data protection, as well as fair and appropriate dispute resolution.
The draft also stresses the need for an anti-fraud and money-laundering policy. It also mentions several issues that the online gaming industry has dealt with for years: verifying the age of players, their actual location, and whether the player is actually who they say they are. The NCLGS notes that this is indeed just a draft, and it should and will be modified in response to emerging trends and advances in technology.
The fight to legalize online gaming is definitely an uphill battle, but there have been many advances in recent months. The times are changing, and this time next year, it’s entirely possible that we could have a fully legalized and regulated online gaming industry.