While most Costa Rica-based sportsbooks announced that they will remain unaffected by the new US law prohibiting credit card payments to online gambling sites, Greg Avioli, Chief Executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said the American horse racing industry has a golden opportunity as the only legal provider of internet gambling in the US.
Speaking at the International Simulcast Conference, Avioli also noted that the passage of the UIGE Act, allowing account wagering on horse races under the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, has not removed the conflict with the United States Department of Justice, which considers interstate wagering illegal as established under the Wire Act of 1961. The DoJ contends the Wire Act, a criminal statute, trumps the IHA, a civil statute.
Elsewhere, comScore Media Metrix has released its monthly analysis of US consumer activity at top online properties and categories for September. Ironically, just prior to the landmark legislation passed by Congress in early October to stem gambling over the internet, online gambling was the top gaining category in September, posting a 17 per cent gain versus August. Leading the category was PartyGaming with 10.9 million US visitors, a 75 per cent increase, followed by Sportingbet with 5.4 million US visitors (up 194 per cent).
“Congress’ move to outlaw online gambling comes at the prime time for football season, as people around the country are placing bets on their favorite teams,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “As speculation continues about the future of these online gambling sites, fans will very likely continue to turn to fantasy games on traditional sports Web sites, which also saw big increases last month.”
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