Clement James, vnunet.com 24 Dec 2007
European online gambling operators have filed a formal complaint claiming discrimination and violation of international trade law by the US.
The companies are calling for US lawmakers to regulate internet gambling, and create a level playing field among domestic and international operators.
The action was filed under a provision of the European Union's Trade Barriers Regulation by the Remote Gambling Association RGA, which represents the largest remote gambling companies in Europe.
The RGA claims that the US Department of Justice is in violation of international trade law by threatening and pressing criminal prosecutions, forfeitures and other enforcement actions against foreign online gaming operators while allowing domestic US online gaming operators, primarily horse betting, to flourish.
We applaud the efforts of the RGA and agree that Congress should take action to end the current discrimination against foreign online gambling operators, said Jeffrey Sandman, a spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative.
The RGA complaint follows a high profile trade dispute over online gaming resulting from Antigua's World Trade Organisation victory over the US earlier this year.
After the WTO ruled that the US had violated trade rules in barring Antiguan online gaming operators from the US market, the US withdrew its WTO obligations with regard to free trade in the gambling area.
