Even when the casinos and gambling industry in general have survived other downturns, this time the rules of the game are completely different.  Many things have changed since the city of Las Vegas was named the “Gambling capital of the World”, and in times in where the computers and the internet are getting more and more adepts every day, traveling to Las Vegas during a recession with the single purpose of gambling is simply not a priority for the people who still have the money and resources to do so.

But what would happen if Las Vegas could start taking online customers? The online casinos offer the same games that most land based casinos do, including sports betting, exotic games, slots, blackjack, baccarat, keno and even bingo. However, the current laws do not allow online gambling sites to offer their services inside the U.S territory, an action that several casinos, including the Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos have supported for many years. With the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) many online casinos and sportsbooks decided to stop taking bets from U.S customers, leaving a huge hole in the industry and creating a great chance for U.S. land based casinos to get a big piece of the market. 

But due the recent economic downturn, some Las Vegas casino operators who were against the regulation and legalization of online gambling are wondering how much money they could have generated if they had their own casinos operating online. However, nothing will change in this industry until the UIGEA is overturned. If somehow the new Administration takes the decision to lift the ban and regulate the industry, then we might start seeing names such as Harrah’s, MGM Grand or Sands offering online casino services.

For some experts, even when having legal online gaming would really help the land based casinos, the biggest help will be in the marketing area. According to several projections, the revenue made from online gambling and sports books would be small compared to the action the profits perceived by the casinos, which is a clear indication that expanding online would actually be a much better marketing resource than an tool to reverse the decline.