Net Betting Ban Breaches WTO Ruling

The congressionally approved ban on internet gambling violates a World Trade Organization ruling last year and could hamper U.S. trade policy, said a lawyer representing online betting nation Antigua.

“What Congress is really doing is putting the United States on a clear path of conflict with free trade and the WTO,” said Mark Mendel, a lawyer in El Paso, Texas.

Mendel represented Antigua in a dispute with the U.S. over whether the Caribbean island can legally take internet gambling bets from customers in the U.S.

In April 2005, a WTO court in Switzerland ruled that the U.S. could ban internet gambling within its borders. However, the court also decided that the U.S. law was inconsistent because it allows internet operations for horse racing and state lottery tickets.

The U.S. Trade Representative and Antti both declared victory after the WTO ruling, but it is still unclear how the ruling affects internet gambling, which has become a $12 billion industry with more than 2,300 websites.

Mendel said the congressionally approved ban would allow Nevada and other states to gamble on the internet within their borders.

“It is in direct violation of WTO rulings,” Mendel said. 스포츠토토

U.S. Trade Representative Gretchen Hamel said the ban, which passed Congress on Saturday, was still under consideration. She declined to comment further.

The ban, which was attached in favor of a port security bill, was submitted to Bush on Wednesday. Bush is expected to sign the ban in the next two weeks.

Mendel said the WTO may decide by January or February that the ban on internet gambling means the U.S. does not comply with international trade agreements.

Mendel said, “I’ve always believed that the United States is betting so much on the WTO that we can’t let everything explode because of this one thing. I think ultimately they’re going to have to work something out with us.”

Mendel said he and several senior government officials from Antigua visited Washington last week to lobby Senate Majority Leader Bill Priest and R-Ten against efforts to pass an internet gambling ban.

“We spoke to members who had a pretty good record on free trade, and most of them didn’t understand the implications of this internet gambling ban,” Mendel said.

The group did not visit lawmakers from Nevada, he said.

Although many internet gambling companies are panicking in the aftermath of the ban, Mendel predicted it would have little effect.

“We have (internet gambling) service providers in Antigua that have had no consumer complaints for 10 years,” Mendel said. “Gamblers think those businesses offer better deals than Las Vegas or Conor Booky.”

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