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United States law says that all companies that spend money lobbying for a particular cause must disclose the details of those expenditures. Recent reports have come out showing that several non-US online gambling firms have invested tens of millions dollars lobbying for the legalization and regulation of internet gambling in the US.

Current law does not exactly ban online gambling in the US, but it seeks to make it difficult by forcing banks to block transfers to and from online gambling sites. This may be changing soon, however. There are currently two bills being considered, one in the House and one in the Senate, which seek to legalize, regulate, and tax online gambling in the US. It is these efforts that foreign firms are lobbying for.

Among the companies that have disclosed lobbying expenditures are PartyGaming, PokerStars and Sportingbet. It seems these internet gambling corporations are confident enough that online gambling in the US will soon be legal that they are spending huge amounts of money in support of such efforts. These large expenditures are also a sign that foreign gambling companies are willing to do whatever it takes to get their fair share of the US online gambling market.

While it’s still too early to say for sure whether these bills will pass, but every day the US seems to inch ever closer to reinstating internet gambling across the country. Right now, there are relatively few online casinos that still accept US players, so blackjack lovers have limited choice when going online to play. Maybe by this time next year, US players will be able to choose from hundreds of sites. We’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed!