AGA Releases An Online Gambling Code of Conduct

The American Gaming Association (AGA) president Frank Fahrenkopf has two simple questions:”…‘How much and for how long?’ How much money that we don’t know about is being swindled from US consumers and how long will it take before we change laws to protect those consumers?”

This is in response to the DOJ calling Full Tilt Poker a “global Ponzi scheme” after amending the civil lawsuit showing that more than 20 owners and shareholders were paid up to $443 million. The AGA has long been standing against online gambling but recently has conceded that new technology can safely protect players and is now calling for Congress to start changing online gambling laws to better protect US consumers.

Fahrenkopt said in a statement;

We applaud the DOJ for this latest action, but every time a shady website is shut down, an even shadier one pops up. The type of illegal activity the DOJ is accusing Full Tilt Poker of will continue to happen in the absence of the same tough, stringent regulations and enforcement that successfully govern bricks-and-mortar casinos.” He also added, There are no longer any good reasons to put US citizens at risk by continuing to outlaw online poker in the US.

The AGA has now released a Code of Conduct that include 6 basic principles online gambling companies should follow if they are to obtain a license in the U.S.

• Conduct extensive background checks that will keep criminals out of the business;
• Install proper identification of every US online poker player to assist law enforcement and keep minors, consumers from unlawful jurisdictions and cheaters from playing;
• Undergo regular testing and auditing of online poker software to ensure that games are fair and honest;
• Implement rigorous player exclusion processes to prevent minors, players from illegal US jurisdictions and cheaters from accessing online poker sites;
• Institute effective responsible gaming protections on operator sites to educate patrons and provide problem gamblers easy access to tools to help control their behavior; and,
• Maintain stringent anti-money-laundering procedures that will assist the government in its law enforcement efforts.

The AGA released a statement with this code proposal saying, “Let’s pass federal legislation with strong law enforcement oversight that allows states to license and regulate online poker, prevents fraud and money laundering, keeps minors from gambling, addresses problem gambling and ensures players aren’t being cheated.”

Author: GamesAndCasino