The EU opened an investigation whether U.S. prosecution policy of foreign online gambling companies are discriminatory, and stand against the way for action at the WTO.Following European online gambling companies complains that the U.S. Department of Justice singled out foreign online gambling companies.
“The U.S. has the right to address legitimate public policy concerns relating to Internet gambling, but discrimination against EU companies cannot be part of the policy mix,” said in a statement. the EU Trade Commissioner Peter M.
The Commission annaounced it would investigate complaints over the next months and will conclude decision whether to launch WTO proceedings against the US.
The US came into clash against the EU countries and other countries outside the EU after it neglected its commitments to opening up its gambling market no US companies and then introduced legal measures in 2006 to cut off that access totally
U.S. Justice Department spokesman refused to comment on the WTO decision
EU companies complain the United States allows U.S. companies offering Internet betting to continue operating, in the same time it banns non us online gambling companies
“Our basic approach is that we don’t want discrimination between operation nationality in this area,” the EU Ambassador to the United States John Bruton said in an interview with Reuters reporters in Washington.
As part of a U.S. crackdown on Internet gambling, two founders of payments processor Neteller were arrested last year and BetOnSports also pleaded guilty to U.S. racketeering charges and agreed to cooperate in a case against the company’s founder and other co-defendants.
Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of Europe’s Remote Gambling Association, welcomed Monday’s announcement by the Commission and said companies hurt by the U.S. market closure were suffering a “double whammy” of being prosecuted while U.S. rivals were not.
“By any analysis, the U.S. policy is fundamentally unfair, and we are delighted that the Commission shares our concern and alarm,” he stated
“The U.S. simply needs to end its discriminatory prosecution of EU companies, and their shareholders, who have after all been out of the U.S. market for almost two years now.”
