Home > Casino News > 23 Nov 2006 Online casino Industry Is Migrating To Costa Rica
Costa Rica may well become in the near future the new home for the online casino industry. Following the latest US Congress legislation against online casinos, also known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, a lot of online casino operators have decided to pack their things and move to Costa Rica, where according to them, they won't be hurt by the latest bill. While the legislation doesn't criminalize individual players from betting online, it does prohibit credit card companies to transfer funds from US citizens to online casinos.
Right now there are about 200 online casino companies in Costa Rica, employing more than 10,000 people, and all the signs show an increase in that number in the next months. Eduardo Agami, president of an online casino company, and also of the Costa Rican electronic gambling business association , recently told The Nation newspaper: "Instead of trying to ban online casino, the US should try to find a way to regulate this activity".
In that same interview Agami also addressed one of the most controversial aspects of the anti-online casino legislation - its effect on the currently operating, well regulated, online casino web sites. "The persecution of this industry will only serve to push into secrecy the businesses that look to be legal and transparent". With that in mind, it is the hope of many people that the US Congress will dedicate a second thought to the controversial issue. Maybe that way those companies will cancel, after all, their plans to move to Costa Rica.
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