The American Gaming Association (AGA) has announced that it would support the creation of a special commission in the United States congress to evaluate whether Internet gambling should be prohibited or not in the country, according to Frank Fahrenkopf Jr, president and CEO of the Association. “Many nations, including Great Britain, are in the process of legalizing, regulating and taxing online gaming”, said Fahrenkopf.

The AGA, which represents all of the major casino operators in Las Vegas, had previously demonstrated a neutral position with regards to this subject in the United States. Now the Association has drastically changed its mind and wants the online gambling business to be reviewed by the government, which will decide whether this industry will be legalized or not.

AGA said that the legislative commission should take into account ideas such as “how to protect children and compulsive players if Internet gambling is regulated and legalized in the United States, instead of allowing gamblers to visit foreign web sites“.

“The study also includes the recent considerations of the World Commerce Organization, which indicate that the position of the United States with regards to online gambling can infringe international commerce obligations.”