Too bad the United States prefers to leave its people in a Wild West of lawlessness, refusing to regulate online gambling despite consumers' need for protection.

In a move to protect its consumers, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission published a document designed to advise patrons of online casinos what to be wary of and things to check when playing on the Internet. The advisory tells potential customers how to sort among the 2000 or more Internet gambling sites available in Britain.

Checking a casino's license and regulating authority are good starts. The Gambling Commission itself regulates casinos and outlines the conditions and rules it imposes. The paper urges that unregulated sites be avoided. Cross-checking of a casino's claim to regulation can be made at the regulator's site.

Country of license is also important, especially if the casino is regulated by several different agencies. Different regulators have varying standards, and it is possible to be linked within a casino to a page under separate regulation.

Checking software and fairness requirements are listed as important. So too is investigation of the complaints procedure, and the payment methods.

Conforming to standards against underage and problem gaming are high on the Commission's list. Even if a patron is not personally concerned over such issues, a casino that ignores them may be a shady operation overall.

By making this document available on the Internet, the U.K. Gambling Commission is making sure it does all it can to protect citizens. It not only regulates the online casino industry, but carefully explains how to find safe casinos at which to play. Too bad the United States prefers to leave its people in a Wild West of lawlessness, refusing to regulate online gambling despite consumers' need for protection.

Published on November 29, 2008 by A.J.Maldonado

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