Due
to the legal considerations of some countries, mostly the US of
A, running an online casino or regular casino is either illegal,
or next to impossible, and so entrepreneurs move to offshore gambling.
There are only certain regions within the United States which casino
proprietors are allowed to operate, and to get a gaming license
in one of these areas, you'd pretty much have to be able to buy
a casino, in other words its expensive. Different countries however
have different rules. Antigua for example is a small island somewhere
that's probably south of you, and its government regulates gambling
for Internet casino operators. These are the offshore gambling sites
you hear about, with their servers literally stored off of the shores
of illegal gambling areas.
The
term probably originates from a non technical place. Ships and boats
for example could travel offshore until they enter international
waters, and the laws no longer apply. This would be a very physical
form of offshore gambling. These days however when someone drops
the term, they are most likely talking about gambling at a site
which hosts its servers offshore.
There is much debate raging right now in the United States about
the legalities of individuals to place bets online, whether the
casino exists in the states or not. Truly this comes down to an
issue of semantics. Where does the bet get placed? By you at your
computer in your home? Or at the server in the server offshore?
Tough question, one better left to philosophers if you ask me.
Offshore gambling is definitely here to stay. The governments of
countries which support the industry can make a fortune on licensing
and taxing the casino operators. The industry would take a serious
hit if the US government were able to effectively stop people from
placing bets at these offshore gambling establishments. Fortunately
the US government probably has less control than they may believe
over the matter.
The
term probably originates from a non technical place. Ships and boats
for example could travel offshore until they enter international
waters, and the laws no longer apply. This would be a very physical
form of offshore gambling. These days however when someone drops
the term, they are most likely talking about gambling at a site
which hosts its servers offshore.