Home / Poker News June 2009 / It's official: US violates WTO Agreement
It's official: US violates WTO Agreement
Posted by: James Carter. - Mon, 2009-06-15 15:35
Whilst the biggest poker series of the world is taking place in Las Vegas a European Commission comes to conclusions that might shame that country's poker policy.
The question of whether or not the US government's policy towards online gambling was in violation of trade agreements is not a new question, but now the answer is definitive. An investigative commission released the results of their report last week in which they concluded that the World Trade Organization's General Agreement of Trade and Services was being violated by the United States' UIGEA.
Catherine Ashton, EU Trade Commissioner, commented on the subject: "Internet gambling is a complex and delicate area, and we do not want to dictate how the US should regulate its market. However, the US must respect its WTO obligations. I hope that we will be able to reach an amicable solution to this issue."
The release of the report has been long awaited, and some say not coincidental as US Rep. Barney Frank drums up support for his new bill, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer protection, and Enforcement Act that is currently in committee. As a response to the findings of the commission, the government is currently in the process of withdrawing from the General Agreement of Trade and Services, however lost revenues for the years of violation may still have to be made up to European providers by the US government.
