Just where is that online casino? It might be owned by a company headquartered in the United States or it might be run by one of many American Indian tribes where gambling is legal on the reservation, but the “casino” itself is somewhere outside the territory of the United States.

At least that is the way laws in the United States are interpreted and the way corporations owning those casinos are set up – unless, of course, you live in Nevada and want to gamble online at a site also located in Nevada. There also is the example of Australia, where lawmakers have moved to allow internet gambling, but only for people not living in Australia.

If this seems to be confusing, it is. Experts in the field say internet gambling is a lawyer’s dream. Nowhere are the laws clear and almost everywhere there is a chance for a sharp barrister to convince a court that his or her position is correct.

That is not to say that many online gambling sites do not appear to be located in the United States. Many are owned by domestic companies operating subsidiaries outside the country, and many foreign operations work with legitimate gaming interests in the United States.

A classic example is the Kenny Rogers Online Casino. Rogers is a popular musician known for his song “The Gambler.” The casino that bears his name was founded by Barona tribe of Mission Indians, which operates a brick and mortar casino on a reservation near San Diego.

The office of the company that runs the casino is also in San Diego, but the actual casino is in the Netherlands Antilles, off the coast of Venezuela. Its cash transactions are handled by an office in Toronto, Canada. Still, if you want to buy stock in the company, look to Nasdaq, a domestic stock market.

This model is typical of the online gaming industry. Although large corporations in the United States, such as Microsoft and Playboy Enterprises, are making large investments in online gambling, they all license their operations “offshore,” in countries where online gambling is legal.

Many of these operate out of nations most would think trustworthy, such as Great Britain or Australia, but others are in small Caribbean or Asian countries. That presents a problem for the careful gambler – who to trust?

With internet gambling recognized as a major growth industry, all online gaming companies have a big stake in allaying the fears of potential gamblers. Gaming industry groups rate the best online sites and gambling trade associations spend a great deal of time promoting the best of the online sites.

Unfortunately, the Kenny Rogers Online Casino, which has one of the best reputations in the business, is no longer accepting new members. Still, anyone wanting to find a reputable establishment has numerous sources to check references.