Online casinos are a relatively recent phenomenon. Also known as web casinos, Internet casinos, virtual casinos, and even mobile casinos, they are essentially an online version of the traditional brick and mortar casino. Although gambling has been around for thousands of years, the history of online casinos is a very recent affair. The history of online casinos began in August 1995 when Internet Casinos, Inc. (ICI) debuted as the world's first online casino. Since that point in time, online casinos have faced a barrage of opposition from governments and citizens all over the world. The first Internet casinos were not widely accepted by the community and received a lot of criticism, particularly from lawmakers. A lot of people were concerned about security, in particular entering sensitive information such as credit card details over the Internet. At the same time, the earliest online casinos were very slow and their graphics were poor quality. This was not necessarily the fault of the casinos, but rather the slow speed of modems and software technology at that particular time.

By the late 90's, the online casino industry was very much established. Today there are many online casinos specializing in casino games, sports betting, and more. Not only have online casinos grown and expanded, but they are now also available via mobile phones. You can even play live casino games on your computer with a real human dealer. Online casinos have certainly made a lot of progress since they began in 1995. Who knew that online casinos would be so successful, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry in less than 10 years of existence.

Obstacles For Online Casinos And Online Gambling In General

1) Federal Wire Act - Although the Wire Act was passed in 1961, decades before online casinos came into existence, it is still a crucial online gambling law and obstacle. It basically disallows any American resident from placing bets via wire communications. Although in 2011, it was officially ruled that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting and not online gambling.

2) UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) - In 2006, the UIGEA became law in the United States. This Act prohibits gambling businesses from accepting payments and bets in relation to Internet gambling. This Act is a key piece of legislation that has kept online gambling out of the United States.

3) Interactive Gambling Act (Australia) - As of 2001, Australia passed its own legislation against online gambling. The Interactive Gambling Act is basically the same as the UIGEA, except that it only applies to Australian residents.

Although the history of online casinos only spans about 17 years, it is a history that is very rocky and full of many obstacles and conflict. I believe that online casinos are here to stay, and they will eventually be regulated and accepted by most governments. After all, they are basically the same as land casinos, besides the fact that they happen to be online.