Finally, the online gambling industry in the United States has an association that is dedicated solely to advocating for legal and regulated igaming. iDEA (iDevelopment and Economic Association) seeks “to grow jobs and expand online interactive entertainment business in the United States through advocacy and education”, according to its website.
The site, which boasts members such as Amaya and NetEnt, touts results of recent studies that show the huge economic benefits of a legal landscape for online gambling in the United States. One of these is the report named ‘The Economic Impact of New Jersey Internet Gaming’, which shows how over 3,000 games were created in the Garden State during the first three years of legalized online gambling.
“In 2016 iGaming generated nearly $50 million in state tax revenues. iGaming is also growing revenues for land-based casinos,” reads the report.
“New Jersey iGaming is also considered a success from a regulatory perspective, with some of the strictest iGaming regulation protocols in the world.” reads iDEA’s website. “The state’s rigorous standards have successfully addressed the valid concerns voiced by opponents and skeptics of iGaming, and proven that legal intrastate iGaming can be successfully operated and safely regulated. These regulations have guaranteed that internet games meet regulatory standards and its operators are accountable; they assure players that they are interacting with trusted brands, are protected from fraud and cheating, and will receive payouts when they win.”
According to iDEA, online gambling is a multi-billion dollar global industry, which already provides players with secure and regulated gaming options. These range from land casinos with online betting operations, to online poker, social and mobile games, sweepstakes, and lotteries.
The website goes on to state that the majority of online gambling businesses operate outside the borders of the United States because of legislative and regulatory barriers. However, support is growing rapidly in the U.S. for the expansion of online interactive entertainment, and more has to be done in order to reach this goal.
So who is iDEA?
The website states a long list of members who stand behind iDEA, as follows: The owner of PokerStars, Amaya, Golden Nugget, Paysafe, Betfair, Party Poker owner, GVC Holdings, Resorts Interactive, Catena Media, Net Entertainment, Sightline Payments, Continent 8, NYX, Tropicana Entertainment, Gamesys, Pala Interactive, Vantiv Gaming Solutions, eZugi and IfrahLaw.
