Gambling News

“WTO Rules in Online Gambling Dispute”

The U.S. to keep some of its restrictions on Internet gambling despite losing case.

The long awaited World Trade Organization’s ruling on Antigua’s case against the U.S. has been delivered and the U.S. isn’t altogether celebrating. Antigua, the initiator of the action, argued that U.S. restrictions prohibiting Americans from playing at online gambling sites are harming Antigua’s economy and are in violation of the General Agreement on Trades and Services (GATS), is quite satisfied with the outcome of the case.

Still, U.S. officials can’t complain too much. The WTO agreed with the U.S. assertions that some restrictions were “necessary to protect public morals or maintain public order”. In essence, the U.S. may maintain some of its restrictions on Internet gambling with certain clarifications.

In defense of the ruling, the U.S. contends that their restrictions actually help prevent money laundering and protect vulnerable members of society. In addition, everyone understands that the U.S. also has a keen interest in protecting the well-established gambling industry right on its own shores.

Despite the fact that the U.S. has no federal laws specifically banning gambling, many states have enacted laws to prohibit it. Some states, however, do allow gambling and since casinos are allowed to operate in some places within the U.S., Antigua was able to effectively argue its point that offshore gambling sites were not being allowed access to the same degree of American-based gambling operations.

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