US Publication Comments on UIGEA Investigation by EU - 07-23-08

July 23 - The conservative United States publication, 'The American Spectator' has commented on the upcoming visit by European Union representatives to Washington later this month, predicting that the outcome could be worse than US officials are willing to admit.

The 'American Spectator' published a piece written by a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Eli Lehrer who said that possibility of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) being brought before the WTO "has serious consequences."

"No certainty exists that the EU will ever decide to turn the dispute into a formal case before the World Trade Organization," wrote Lehrer. "That said, even the possibility has serious consequences. Since enforcement of the gambling laws falls entirely on the banking sector, it seems likely that the EU could well respond with banking sanctions directed at getting the US to change its behavior. Other than the horseracing sites, which serve an almost exclusively American clientele, there are no American gambling sites to sanction. Given the enormous volume of trade between the US and Europe, almost $700 billion in 2007, even a tiny series of retaliatory measures would have severe implications for the US economy."

"Even if the EU decides to stay quiet and never complains about UIGEA," continued Lehrer in his article, "it's pretty obvious that America's effort to regulate gambling at the Federal level needs to end. Thirty years ago, when casinos existed in only one state, Federal laws cracking down on gambling represented the public will. Today, with gambling legal in 48 states, America's debate with gambling has ended with the side that favors legalization as the clear winner."

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