The US jurisdiction of DC will be the first entity in the Unites States to launch a fully legal online casino. The decision has already been taken, and free money games will be ready to play later this month. The official real money play will begin on the 8th of September.

Michael A. Brown, the author of the provision in question that allowed the creation of the first online casino said that the new site will be operated and maintained by a Greek company called Intralot. The casino will only be open to players living inside the borders of the jurisdiction.

The first games to be introduced at the online casino will be blackjack, bingo and poker. During July and August these games will be available to play with game money only for demonstrative purposes. DC authorities expect the real money site to be launched on September 8.

Officials also explained that as soon as real money play will begin, players will be allowed to deposit only $250 per week and will be required to deposit and withdraw with credit card and money order only.

This move doesn't mean that Washington DC actually legalized online gambling, in fact, it just allows the creation of an online casino that will be strictly monitored and supervised. But despite this, it can be considered a step forward in the legalization struggle.

Experts believe that if the DC casino will be a success, other states might follow the lead and embrace similar projects. But still, the road to a complete and federal legalization is long, with some analysts even believing that it would never happen.

Another question is the status of online poker in the States. Recently the US cracked down several leading online poker sites for conducting illegal gambling services in the USA. After this, many parties involved asked for a legislation change that would allow online poker in the country.

As of now, nothing can be concluded for sure regarding the US online gambling legalization struggle. It remains to be seen what other states decide after the DC example, hopefully embracing a positive attitude toward the issue.

Tags: US Online Gambling Legislation