Virgin Group May Move Into US Online Gambling Market

The Virgin Group continues to expand on the online gambling front as they seek investors to help the company move into newly open markets, according to a report filed by eGamingReview Magazine.

One of the more intriguing markets is the United States.  Should this occur, Virgin would be the first European-based online gambling company to accept US gamblers since passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.

That law makes it illegal for banking institutions to knowingly allow transactions for certain Internet gambling such as poker, sports betting and online casino games.

But individual states are now looking to embrace online gambling in spite of any federal legislation that most experts believe simply cannot be enforced.

From eGamingReview Magazine Online:

"The company is weighing plans to enter regulating markets including France, Spain, and South Africa, as well as potentially either or both of the US states in which the legalisation of intrastate online gambling has been proposed, California and Florida, and is seeking commercial partners to fund marketing budgets in those countries."

Representatives from the Poker Voters of America have been meeting in Florida to discuss options regarding legalized online poker after some initial setbacks. 

Oddly enough I happened to be sitting next to Poker Voters of America Executive Director Melanie Brenner on a Virgin America flight to San Francisco last week.   She expressed optimism that both Florida and her native California will at some point open their doors to legalized online poker.

And speaking of the airline Virgin America, should it come as any surprise that this innovative company would be among the first to seriously contemplate a move into the US market?  After all, Virgin America brainchild Richard Branson fought tooth and nail to get his airline flying in the continental US. By law, no more than 25% of a US airline may be owned by foreign interests and must be under the "actual control" of U.S. citizens.  Branson is British.

Begun in 2007, Virgin America is expected to make a profit for the first time this year thanks to its slow strategic growth.   The airline offers low fares, new planes, comfortable leather seating, live television and very reliable Internet access while in the sky system wide.  Virgin America flies between San Francisco, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle and Fort Lauderdale and is aggressively pursuing the Chicago market. 

Virgin's marketing is beginning to reflect on its online casino product as well.

Chief executive Simon Burridge told EGRmagazine.com: "We do a lot of successful marketing and want to do more of it, but we can't always throw appropriate sums behind it. We are limited in the profile that we can generate on our own behalf and with so many operators and markets opening up at the same time, we are going to need some cash."

The company just completed a two-and-a-half-year upgrade of its online casino platform.