US Trade Rep Rolls Her Eyes at EU Gambling Compensation Claim

Getting US trade officials to talk in response to the gambling complaints it is facing in the WTO has proven to be a difficult feat since Antigua won its claim against the mighty country earlier this year, but Reuters finally got a representative to talk under the terms that they do not disclose her identity.

The official told Reuters Thursday afternoon that the US believes the EU compensation claims, which is projected, but not confirmed, to be $100 billion per year, is greatly exaggerated.

"We can say that some of the numbers being put forward are based on faulty and exaggerated assumptions," she told Reuters.

However, as Casino Gambling Web reported yesterday and Reuters reported today, some of the biggest and most important lawyers in Europe believe the $100 billion claim is valid.

"Given the size of the US gaming market, both the potential benefit for European industry and the corresponding potential damage to US companies is unprecedented," said Naotaka Matsukata, a senior policy advisor with Alston & Bird.

It is important to point out that the $100 billion, if awarded and agreed upon, would not be a check for that much money. However, the money would be made up by 'increased foreign company access to the US market', according to the Reuters article.

Antigua has already claimed $3.4 billion in compensation from the US and has presented their justification to the WTO for that amount of money earlier in the month. They are expected to legally disregard trade laws related to copyright materials once the WTO okays their claim, meaning they will be able to legally sell pirated copies of music, movies, and computer software for pennies on the dollar.

The US offered the EU the opening of areas that include storage, warehouse services, and technical testing, but the EU values that as minuscule relative to what they desire from the US, plus the US has already offered these concessions in Doha round of WTO talks.

September 27, 2007
Posted By Susan Torres
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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