World Trade Organization Says U.S. 'Net Gambling Ban Violates Trade Laws

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 26, 2004 - 4:14am.

New York -- In a decision that the Bush administration has already vowed to appeal, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that U.S. laws prohibiting Internet gambling violate international trade laws, The New York Times reported on Friday. The island nations of Antigua and Bermuda originally brought the case to the WTO, arguing that it is hypocritical of the U.S. to ban cross-border online gambling sites based there while allowing American casino operators to establish overseas online gambling operations for foreign bettors. It is against the law for U.S. citizens to gamble online, and legislators have gone so far as to target secondary enablers like credit card companies, which are prohibited from allowing bettors to set up accounts to cover gambling debts. "It cannot be allowed to stand that another nation can impose its values on the U.S. and make it a trade issue," Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) told The Times. A representative of the islands told The Times that, should the U.S. fail with its appeal, Antigua and Barbuda would be within international law if they were to then raise tariffs on American companies doing business there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/26/technology/26gamble.html
http://www.wto.org