US Gaming Congress Meets

On May 16 and May 17, Atlantic City welcomed the 16th Annual East Coast Gaming Congress. The goal of the conference is to "share ideas, express concerns and articulate visions" with leaders in the gambling industry. Since the debate around online casino games is front and center in the United States, several speakers addressed the issue.

Richard Bronson, chairman of turnkey supplier US Digital Gaming, stated that there are currently too many issues separating the US Congress and it is unlikely that they will agree to pass any legislation on online gambling. He said, "In a Congress that can't agree on what day it is, the thought that they're going to agree to put casino gambling in every living room in America is ridiculous."

Ray Lesniak, New Jersey State Senator and sponsor of the state’s online casino games legislation, also spoke for the crowd. He brought up Governor Chris Christie’s veto of legislation that had been overwhelmingly approved by the full New Jersey Legislature. He said, "We lost a whole year and hundreds of millions of dollars that could have been coming in to our casinos in Atlantic City." Lesniak is the sponsor of another bill this year, made with some sort of understanding with the governor.

Eugene Johnson, a representative from Spectrum Gaming Consultancy, said that there are many interested parties who are preparing to offer top rated online casino games, pending legalization. Spectrum Gaming has been approached by European operators, US commercial gaming companies, Native American tribes and state lotteries. Johnson echoed Bronson's view that within a few years, state regulated online gambling will become a reality in America. He called online casino games "the wave of the future" and said that gambling on mobile handsets would be particularly appealing to young gamblers. He said, "If you don't evolve with the future, you're going to be left behind."