Will the EU Challenge US Online Casino Ban is the recent news update on Casinos World Wide

Will the EU Challenge US Online Casino Ban

26 Feb 2007

The United States banned online casino gambling a few months ago, by passing a law that will take full effect in a few months more. The online casino industry has already reacted to the ban, first by losing much of their market value at the world stock exchange centers, then by seeing its executives being arrested when entering the US. But the effects have not all been negative, as the industry has focused on spreading online casino services to new markets around the globe.

What else, legal action was also taken by governments that host online casino companies and were directly hurt by the unilateral, seemingly unfair actions taken by Uncle Sam. Such was the case which Antigua submitted to the World Trade Organization, in which it complained that the Americans have violated trade agreements that dictate fairness and multilateralism.

The positive response it has received so far from the ongoing WTO discussion of the matter has sparked optimism around the online casino world. One such comment was heard in Brussels, Belgium, where the EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy said the following: "In my view it is probably a restrictive practice and we might take it up in another forum.” The US restrictions on online casino gambling have undoubtedly and understandably upset many around the world, and is not expected to die out without a fight. Stopping foreign companies, be it in the online casino industry or any other that is international and of great volume, will always face opposition, and the coming months and perhaps even years will see more ups and downs for the governments and companies involved.