In the year 1988, congress has passed IGRA (Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) to make clear the rights of the state government in the gambling activities. IGRA divides the gambling games into 3 classes and gives out the responsibilities to the tribal, federal and the state government.
Class I games: IGRA describes the Class I games as the charitable games like the bingo nights where these games are sponsored by the fire department or the churches. These games are also called as the tribal games as they conduct the games as a part of their social activities. Majority of the states limit the casino games based on the fee, prize pool, frequency and many other factors. The states have no right to restrict or to control the tribal games.
Class II games: Class II games are those games where you play against the players instead of the house. In these games, there are no limitations on the entry fee and the prizes. Poker clubs and high stakes bingo fall under this category of games. Few games like the scratch off tickets and the pull-tabs also come under class II gaming. In the games like card rooms and the bingo halls, the federal and the tribal government are responsible.
Class III games: Games that do not fall under class I or class II come under the category of class III games. Here, the games are played against the house. Blackjack falls under the category of class III games as the opponent itself acts as a dealer. Virtually all the slot games and the table games fall under this category and are regulated by all levels of government.
6) Online gambling – Licensing and Regulation
Countries that permit online games need to meet few licensing and regulation structures. Companies that operate online have to pay $70,000 to $100,000 or sometimes more to conduct gambling activities online and they should meet the requirements.
If an online website is licensed in its own country, then you can get the information from the ‘about us’ section. Telephone support of that company should also be able to tell you the details on the license of the company and its audits. In general, online gambling web sites use the services of large firms like Pricewaterhousecoopers to conduct the audits and to check the requirements. These audit findings should be available to the public so that they can decide on the company and can get to know the details of that particular company.
Few of the online casinos are the companies that are held in public; the list of the companies is listed on NASDAQ stock exchange or some other exchange. Companies like Boss Media have further needs under the U.S Exchange commission.
Apart from meeting the requirements, many online casinos belong to the trade groups or the associations called best practices. One of such associations is the Internet Gaming Commission. This is an independent body that manages and maintains the licensed and the unlicensed online casinos and it also provides information on the various games that are offered by these online gambling casino web sites. One other such association is e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation Assurance (eCOGRA) that acts as both the regulator and also as the consumer information organization.
