Will the WTO overturn the UIGEA?

20 September 2007

However, there is more to all of this then that. Since the U.S. gaming laws have hurt so many nations by restricting U.S. citizens from gambling online, the WTO might allow these hurt nations to disregard American intellectual-property law.

This all seemed to begin back in 2003 when Antigua sued the United States at the WTO because of America�s ban of their online casinos. The online casinos are after all, Antigua�s largest industry, falling second to only tourism. With the online gaming industry already being worth a sizable $15 billion a year, we can expect to see that figure at least double in numbers almost immediately if Americans are finally allowed to use these online casinos. After all, it is reported that U.S. gamblers represent 60 percent of world online gambling revenue.

Right now, with U.S. users being blocked from using foreign-based online casinos, other countries are losing out on a lot of profit. And the United States only allows a handful of domestic online gambling. And if the ban wasn�t enough, last October President Bush made it even harder for overseas sites and their American players, by signing a bill that would prohibit all credit cards companies and banks from processing payments of American users to these sites.

Companies like Gibraltar based Party Gaming, who was once worth $8.4 billion, watched in horror as their stock was cut in half and their revenues took a noise dive of 70 percent once Bush signed that new bill. But not too long ago, the WTO came to the conclusion that what the U.S. is doing, is an illegal form of trade protectionism. As early as next month, this could all change, as new rulings may be enforced. If the U.S. government does not come to terms with international gaming, next year Antiguans could be selling legally pirated copies of our hard work. This means everything from computer programs to movies to CD�s without having to pay the copyright owner anything in return. This has lobbyists in an uproar and they are demanding that Capitol Hill make a deal.

And our deadline is drawing closer by the day. September 22 is the first deadline set by WTO for America to make a deal with Antigua and other nations like them. Will we soon have complete access to the gaming industry that the rest of the world has to offer? Or will we be seeing millions of Americans hard work be copied and sold legally in other countries without us making a dime?

OCN Staff

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Will the WTO overturn the UIGEA?

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