Although online casino operators and sites are not in the frontline of legislative action, any online gambling and overall gambling laws amended or passed does directly affect them in one way or another. The majority of online casinos may operate offshore, but this simple fact does not excuse them from the national and international laws. When it comes to gambling legislation, the online casino and land-based casino world are closely intertwined.
The Dunedin Casino in New Zealand may be facing suspension of its casino license because, according to the country's law, the casino failed to protect itself from potential harm. Last year's legislation was passed to require that both online casino and land-based casino operators minimize the potential harm that could be brought on the casino by irresponsible gamblers and online casino players. Recently, a woman named Christine Marie Keenan, lost $5 million at Dunedin Casino. The woman has had quite a history as well. Part of the money she had gambled had been stolen and she also was jailed for three years for stealing $500,000 to fuel her gambling addiction. The casino has been recommended for suspension by Internal Affairs.
'The laws send a very clear message to casinos, that the rules actually have teeth, that they're being taken seriously, and any casino that isn't so good at having protocols for identifying problem gamblers will have to tighten up,' says Barry Allan from the Otago University Law Department. With this statement, it is easy to see that the laws regarding online casino and land-based gambling apply across the board. Online casino operators should take careful notice of this example, and reaffirm that they are operating their sites according to the standards of the law.
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