thanks Clevfan for the read
Antigua protests US move to bar Internet gambling
Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:51 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tiny Antigua protested on Friday new U.S. efforts to outlaw Internet gambling and complained the United States had done nothing to implement a World Trade Organization ruling against current restrictions.
The Caribbean state, with a population of 67,000, has been trying to build up its Internet gambling industry as a way to make up for sharply declining tourism revenues.
It has collided in that effort with the United States, where federal law bars the placing of bets across state lines by electronic means.
Antigua challenged that ban in 2003 as a violation of service sector commitments the United States made when the WTO was formed in 1995.
Both sides claimed victory after the WTO Appellate Body released a final decision in the case in April 2005.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman released on Friday, Antigua's ambassador to the WTO, John Ashe, expressed concern about two U.S. legislative proposals to outlaw the $12 billion Internet gambling industry.
"Each of the bills is in key respects expressly contrary to the rulings and the recommendations of the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization," Ashe said.
He also complained the United States had made no move to comply with the April 2005 ruling.
"As of today, with less than two months remaining on an 11-month and two week compliance period, to our knowledge no legislation has been introduced into the Congress that would seek to bring the United States into compliance," Ashe said.
The United States argued in the WTO case that it never meant its services liberalization to include gambling, and that, in any case, WTO rules allowed states to restrict trade on moral grounds.
The Appellate Body accepted much of the U.S. reasoning. But it said that when it came to betting on horse racing, there appeared to be discrimination between foreign and local operators, which violated trade rules and had to stop.
Antigua protests US move to bar Internet gambling
Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:51 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tiny Antigua protested on Friday new U.S. efforts to outlaw Internet gambling and complained the United States had done nothing to implement a World Trade Organization ruling against current restrictions.
The Caribbean state, with a population of 67,000, has been trying to build up its Internet gambling industry as a way to make up for sharply declining tourism revenues.
It has collided in that effort with the United States, where federal law bars the placing of bets across state lines by electronic means.
Antigua challenged that ban in 2003 as a violation of service sector commitments the United States made when the WTO was formed in 1995.
Both sides claimed victory after the WTO Appellate Body released a final decision in the case in April 2005.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman released on Friday, Antigua's ambassador to the WTO, John Ashe, expressed concern about two U.S. legislative proposals to outlaw the $12 billion Internet gambling industry.
"Each of the bills is in key respects expressly contrary to the rulings and the recommendations of the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization," Ashe said.
He also complained the United States had made no move to comply with the April 2005 ruling.
"As of today, with less than two months remaining on an 11-month and two week compliance period, to our knowledge no legislation has been introduced into the Congress that would seek to bring the United States into compliance," Ashe said.
The United States argued in the WTO case that it never meant its services liberalization to include gambling, and that, in any case, WTO rules allowed states to restrict trade on moral grounds.
The Appellate Body accepted much of the U.S. reasoning. But it said that when it came to betting on horse racing, there appeared to be discrimination between foreign and local operators, which violated trade rules and had to stop.