The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA for short) that has been passed in the Congress back in 2006 is finally going to take effect on the first day of the summer. Regular US customers of online casinos are now in an ambiguous situation. On the one hand, the majority of internet casinos are operated by offshore companies and there is no telling yet what changes are to be expected. But on the other hand, quite a number of laws and amendments are currently viewed on the Hill with a lot of powerful individuals and corporations lobbying for the legalization.
One of the most prominent internet gambling software developers, Microgaming, prefers to stay on the safe side. Following a Kentucky law suit that resulted in the forfeit of a domain name, Microgaming didn’t accept any more players from the US to its websites, while still letting its former customers enjoy the service. Currently, another unexpected decision has been taken in order to provide the US citizens with some of the best games in the industry. Microgaming is going to completely leave the States, while giving a license to use its software to a famous online lotteries operator Betware, which has been in the market since 1996. Besides providing the US clients with their own games, Betware will now offer most of the Microgaming powered table games and slots, with the exception of the branded ones that might concern the interests of third-party companies.
The chief executive of Betware, Stefan Hrafnkelsson was very proud and excited to be licensed to use the software of Microgaming at the Betware online casinos of the US. The agreement is sure to expand the number and increase the quality of games on their websites, which are open to American customers. Though the price of the deal wasn’t announced, we can trace the decision back to May 16, when the CasinoShare group made public the change of its platform. Having been powered by Microgaming, the name of the new provider wasn’t announced, though it was mentioned that the new platform wouldn’t be too different from the previous one. That is how the concept of CasinoShare US online gambling site appeared. It was later joined by Players Palace group and Casino Rewards group to create a unified online casino for American gamblers. Kahnawake Gaming Commission approved of the idea, giving its license to operate the casino under the aboriginal rights of the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. The process of platform change shouldn’t be a hindrance for the players, as more than 300 games are already available at CasinoShare US, formerly run by Microgaming, now powered by its licensee, Betware. The process of platform change will be 100% complete by May 31, right before the day of UIGEA taking full effect, which is June 1.