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November 12, 2007
Peter Mandelson, the European Union’s (EU) man pursuing claims against the US over its reneging on its World Trade Oragniszation (WTO) obligations in the gambling sector, has arrived in Washington to take the matter up with US authorities. Central to Mandelson’s quest is to put the case for the repeal of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), the whole reason for the US’ announcement that it would withdraw from its WTO obligations to open its online gambling markets to foreign operators. Reuters reports that Mandelson has said: "What we need to see is a change in US legislation that removes that discrimination against EU operators. It's not in the interest of American [online gambling] consumers to have good responsible competitors in this market excluded by regulatory mechanisms.” Online bingo operators and international online bingo halls will be watching with interest the progress Mandelson makes in trying to convince the US authorities to free their markets. US online gamers who play online bingo games will also be interested to see if Mandelson makes any progress. The passage of UIGEA into US law saw dramatic stock value losses for European online gambling companies, including those involved in bingo online. Many of those same European companies have been actively partitioning the EU to vigorously pursue compensation from the US and they seem to have found a sympathetic ear in Mandelson. "When a member of the WTO defaults on its commitments, compensation is due," Mandelson said. "That's the case of online gambling." Written by John Witherspoon – Interested in free online bingo? Our great online bingo portal gives all the info you need.
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