Antigua may work with UK firms to challenge law (article)

[LearnedfromTV]

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Hopefully the U.S will actually comply with the Europeans and WTO.

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I'm extremely skeptical about a WTO decision carrying any weight for the US. Ask Canada how effective it is to win trade rulings (see softwood lumber). Canada won about eleventy billion rulings in a row and the US just told them to stick it anyway. It helped that the current Canadian government was/is spineless beyond description but the point remains.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the WTO cavalry to bail me out.

Tony

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I'm bewildered that this WTO crap keeps coming up over and over; there's got to be a lot of naive youngsters here or ppl from outside the U.S. to go on and on about this pipedream. 99% of the U.S. public has no idea what the WTO is, cares what it is or even cares that it exists.

Regardless of the merits, justifications or anything else, as a practical matter the U.S. is not going to have country-wide gambling imposed on it by the WTO. A U.S. politician trying to explain to the electorate that we must gamble because the WTO said so would be crucified.

WTO may mean something where you live, it means nothing here. Forget the WTO.

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a) It means something because the U.S. tries to have it mean something when it wants things from other countries.

b) Repealing the internet gambling ban to comply with the WTO (as a part of some larger backroom trade deal) would not ever have to be explained by any politician to anyone unless it suited their interests. Most laws are passed without publicity, politicians select which soundbites they want to campaign on.

c) It wouldn't matter, as a practical matter, if the U.S. ignores the WTO, if the WTO ruling would effectively nullify the law internationally. The biggest dangers are sites shutting their doors and the general public believing online poker is illegal. If the sites have a WTO ruling behind them, can be vocal and clear about the failure of the U.S. government to live up to its international obligations in passing this law, and can provide payment mechanisms that work around the law, things look pretty good.