Online gambling has increased in popularity in recent years. The industry has grown significantly over the past five years, with revenues increasing to over $21 billion in 2008. A significant portion of this revenue comes from online casinos. However, a significant amount of the industry is still unregulated, which means that it is easy for untrustworthy sites to take advantage of people.
There are many different types of online gambling, from sports betting and casino games to virtual poker. In addition, there are a variety of bonuses and promotions.
Gambling has an inherent social and cultural value. For this reason, state officials are concerned about Internet gambling. As a result, the federal government has stepped in to reinforce state laws in some cases. It also has challenged federal laws on constitutional grounds.
Many states have legalized gambling at casinos, and there are some that allow gambling online. However, state law is the primary governing body, and the presence of an interstate element can frustrate enforcement policies.
Some federal statutes implicated by illegal online gambling are the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the Travel Act. These statutes require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enforce its authority over common carriers and Internet facilities, and it may begin to dismantle or even suspend some of these facilities.
One of the first public venues for Internet gambling was the Liechtenstein International Lottery. This gambling venture was introduced in 1998. Today, there are hundreds of online casinos that offer a wide variety of casino games.