EU Trade Rep Demands US Change in Online Gambling Policy

European Union (EU) trade executive Peter Mandelson said today the US must change its online gambling laws and should endorse free market policies towards the internet gaming industry.

His comments come after the recent debate between the US and European Union which has centered around compensation owed to the EU by the United States. Some have said the total amount owed to the European Union per year is approximately $100 billion.

The EU is owed compensation because the US lost a World Trade Organization (WTO) case to Antigua due to their broken committments to free trade.

Mandelson's comments today out of the EU are surprising. He is basically allowing the United States off the hook for the $100 billion dollars if the US will agree to change it online gaming policies and align themselves with WTO agreements.

Mandelson was quoted while speaking to members of the European Parliament, "The US has opted for compensation to make right what is wrong, I do not think compensation does the job [payback for breaking WTO policies]."

The European Union and other trading partners have been in compensation discussions with the United States over it's policy to retroactively remove gambling services from commitments it made as part of a 1994 world trade agreement.

US trade reps in Washington have yet to comment on today's statement by Mandelson.

November 20, 2007
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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