Roundabout Endorsement Of Online Gambling
Added: Aug. 10, 2015
In the United States. In the, shall we say, conservative section of the country that makes up the Midwest no less. Actually, from within the City of Chicago no less. Following is what this is all about:
As you know, quite suddenly the whole topic of online gambling and online casino action has become a hot button topic. Perhaps it is due to the upcoming 2016 Presidential election. Perhaps it is only because the time is right. For whatever reason or perhaps for no reason at all the City of Chicago has, in so many words endorsed the whole concept of online casino action.
Not explicitly mind you. More of a round about way. You see, unless you happen to reside in or around the City of Chicago you may not be up to speed on local and state attitudes towards government money. That is to say government money desperately needed to fill up the state and local coffers. As a matter of fact if you hang out in Chicago locales for any length of time you can’t miss out hearing the locals mutter something to the effect of :’…never seen a tax they don’t like….”. In other words, Chicago and the State of Illinois has a long storied history of taxing just about anything you could think of.
Which is how the issue of online casino action even came up. You see, City of Chicago Finance Department recently decreed that there is a new 9% tax. This new amendment to the City’s existing amusement tax adds new language. This new language states in no uncertain terms that effective immediately (how’s that for a notice?) the amusement tax also now applies to any sort of “electronically delivered amusements”. Think services such as Netflix and Spotify.
But, and this is in fact the key point here. This new amendment to the City amusement tax specifically includes language addressing online casino action. Take a look at the actual text of the new amendment here :”c. charges paid for the privilege of participating in games, on-line or otherwise, are subject to the amusement tax if the games are delivered to a customer in the City.”
In other words, for those unlucky Chicago residents who just so happen to want to enjoy a round or two at their favorite online casino there is now a new 9% tax. Ouch!
Yet, don’t miss the bigger and broader point here. As you can plainly see from this new Chicago tax, this is no less than a tacit acknowledgment that online gambling is here to stay.