Deadline Period Reached

The World Trade Organization Internet gambling compensation ruling projected for November 30 is around the corner. This ruling is expected to solve the case of the compensation claims made by Antigua and Barbuda, over the ban on online gambling in place in the US. The sum of the filled claims damages is of $3.4 billion, which it will require endorsed in the form of harboring pirated intellectual property. However, the US asserts the sums are much smaller.

The deadline period has been reached and now we all expect to see what will happen and we believe that sanctions are as close as ever to be extracted by Antigua and Barbuda, as well as by the European Union.

If negotiation efforts fall short and the US makes a decision to withdraw from the WTO trade agreements on Internet gambling, the consequences may be serious. Actually, quite a few Congress Representatives, including Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, have announced their surprise that the American Trade Representative to the WTO has not discussed with Congress on potential solutions.

The US online gambling policy may prove to be a double-edged sword. "This may be seen and is seen by many as a mocking manipulation of the system - you lose the game, so you try and change the rules," said WTO arbitration expert and NYU Law Professor Joseph Weiler.

In addition to the political implications, over 10 million US residents have played poker online for money last year, according to estimate made by the Poker Players Alliance. Inequity against foreign online gambling providers put aside for a minute, the US policy hurts many people in there too.