The Register – Thursday 1st February 2007:
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled against the US in an online gambling dispute with the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. The US is breaking international trade rules, it is expected to say.
Though the ruling is still private, Reuters has reported that the WTO has found the US guilty of not complying with a 2005 order in the case.
Antigua and Barbuda has built up a significant internet gambling industry to replace falling tourist revenue and took the US to the WTO over entry to the US gaming market.
Laws passed previously banned non-US companies from operating in the US gaming market. Antigua argued that this was an illegal trade restriction and broke a free trade pact that the US had signed.
A WTO dispute resolution panel found in Antigua’s favour in 2003. The US appealed but the Appeals Board found largely for Antigua in 2005. The WTO has now found that the US has not tried hard enough to stick to that decision.
Take that you D.C. hypocrites!
I believe countries have a right to limit internet access to unlawful things in that country. That being said, fair trade means that if it is legal in your country, you need to allow other countries to market inside, otherwise it is protectionism.
And not allowing internet gambling is definitely protectionism, as gambling is legal in this country (regardless of how it is regulated).
So, as #1 says, screw the hypocrites.
The WTO ruling is meaningless to the U.S. administration and will not change a single thing for online gambling.
For those Americans who haven’t been following the softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada, the U.S., in the face of similar rulings both on the WTO agreements they signed AND the North American Free Trade Agreement, still broke the agreements they signed and still hold over $1 billion in unfairly collected tariffs from Canadian lumber exporters. All because U.S. lumber lobbyists abused the lobbying system to pay off U.S. politicians. They kept breaking the rules for 5-6 years until the Canadian government was forced to settle in order to avoid a major industry collapse.
The bottom line is that the U.S. government doesn’t honor its agreements and can’t be trusted in world trade. It’s sad, because U.S. citizens individually are the greatest business people and entrepreneurs in the world that have to depend on their contracts. Quite ironic.
I bet you a truckload of softwood lumber that the US ignores the WTO ruling.
The WTO is a tool of US corporate interests bent on exploiting third wor… What? They ruled against the US?
ALL HAIL THE WTO!
The rest of you guys are right. The US will ignore the WTO and if the world is watching they realize the US is not a trustworthy player in the global community. We can’t be supporters of the WTO and ignore them too. That would be like supporting the United Nations and then acting against… Oh… Never mind.
“And not allowing internet gambling is definitely protectionism, as gambling is legal in this country (regardless of how it is regulated).”
Where, exactly, in the US is internet gambling legal?
Gig #6: I have no idea where internet gambling is legal, but I know you can bet the horses by phone (see NYC Off Track Betting site for more info). And assuming you are a reader of this forum, I doubt you can make a reasonable argument of the difference between internet and telephone access. Also note: you can use credit cards!
I know every jurisdiction has its own rules (phone vs. internet, horses yes, sports no, slots yes, blackjack no), but the fact is that gambling is legal in these here United States, if highly regulated. And any regulations that would theoretically help problem gamblers (like making you show up in person with cash to place bets), went out the window when credit cards were allowed in casinos.
* Yes, I know prostitution is legal in the United States ‘somewhere’, but some form of gambling is legal in 48 out of the 50 states. Practically, there are levels of hypocrisy, and this one strikes me as protectionist in nature.
5. “The WTO is a tool of US corporate interests bent on exploiting third wor… What? They ruled against the US?”
Actually, the WTO is a tool of multi-national corporate interest. And since the US wanted to protect US corporate interests, the US lost.
Ref #3 – I did some digging on my own and found out that the ruling only applies to ‘processed’ lumber, i.e. 2×4, 2×10, etc. Raw logs themselves are exempt.
So with the major part of the U.S. complaint being that Canada unfairly subsidizes Canadian loggers. So why didn’t they put the same duty on the raw product?
The U.S. always wants a level playing field, unless they’re on top.
HAHAHA take that u bitches
You know, I don’t sleep at night worrying over this whole matter. What to do, what to do??
#7 lou, Horse racing is legal here in the Arkansas at one track that is overseen by a racing commision. I can’t open a race track in my backyard without a state constitutional admenment.
Another example is liquor, I can’t sell it out of my business because I don’t have a liquor license.
Why the hell should a company in East where-ever be able to sell in my state what I can’t.
um, internet gambling was not made illegal, it already was illegal what was made illegal is the use of financial instruments to pay off-shore companies for it.
have none of you actually been following this story?
so if you have money in a bank where it’s legal to use bank money to pay for gambling, then go nuts.
What this ruling means, since the US will not comply, is Antigua does not have to respect ANY US Patent nor trademark. When you can buy movies, music and software IE Microcrap, for pennies on the dollar legally what do you think will happen to the stock prices/earnings of those companies?
#14, Good comment.
I believe the article reported incorrect information. The original WTO ruling was targeted at Utah and Hawaii, which do not allow gambling in any form within their borders. I know the Utah Constitution forbids gambling. The 2005 ruling basically said that the agreement signed by the US trumped Utah’s Constitution.