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

[Triple Optics]

If it came down to it, Bush would just say that Antigua was developing weapons of mass destruction, and bomb the [censored] out of them.

"They supports gambling and corruption, and is a sponsor for TERR'. TERR'ists wants the hard working american soccer moms to gamble away their kid's college fund so that amer'cans childrens wont grow up with a edgeecation!"

[Richas]

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barro...n/index_en.htm

Peter Mandelson's website. Incl contact options. This is the guy who will be taking on the US over this. The guardian article says that the EU firms have not complained formally yet. It will strengthen his hand if US consumers complain about this - in particular the higher rake of B&M casinos. Make it clear that you want to use EU based firms (poker and sports betting)and that you believe this bill is protectionism in breach of WTO.

EU based affiliates may want to ask about registering a complaint as effectively you are locked out of the US market.

[_Drogo_]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

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

[MicroBob]

I think further action in the WTO could conceiveably help keep the U.S. from really getting going on drawing out the specifics of the bank regulations, etc and from prosecuting anybody about it.


It could also encourage more sites to just 'keep on, keepin on' as far as pursuing U.S. customers.
Party might back out now...but perhaps they would be willing to accept Americans again due to further WTO action. Knowing that they have the WTO decision on their side could make a big difference in stuff like that.

If it doesn't make a difference with Party it could still end up making a difference with some other sites who otherwise might pull out like FullTilt perhaps.

[LearnedfromTV]

This is interesting. Practical question related to the idea that "the U.S. won't care about the WTO ruling"-

How do the countries involved interact with other countries when in one of these WTO disputes, especially the major countries (I think we know where Antigua stands)?

In other words, if the WTO rules against the U.S., but the U.S. refuses to change the law (or hasn't changed it yet), which will the UK authorities view as the final word on how its gambling businesses should deal with U.S. customers: the WTO ruling or U.S. law? I don't know the circumstances of US-China or US-Russia disputes, but when the U.S. is in a similar position (Chinese law violates WTO ruling, Chinese refuse to change law), would the U.S. sanction American citizens breaking Chinese law (from U.S. soil)/refuse to cooperate with Chinese authorities? What if the opponent were someone more friendly, like the U.K.?

Knowledgable/researched opinions only please!

[tinhat]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

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

[/ QUOTE ]

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.

[smartalecc5]

Cliffnotes?

[freewheeler]

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By humiliating the WTO as we have, we've undermined their prestige and made it easier for other countries to create and maintain their own trade barriers.


[/ QUOTE ]
Excellent point. Bush administration did the same thing to the UN when they invaded Iraq, but they still try to use the UN when it still suits their purposes. Now it's the same thing with the WTO. I wonder how much damage is actually done... No wonder much of the world thinks USA are arrogant bullies...

[freewheeler]

Oh yeah, and let's not forget about international tribunals either. Use 'em against the bad guys from other countries but don't you dare suggest that it should apply to Americans.

[mattnxtc]

I am an american but i must say i cant wait to see the US get knocked on its ass...Its like we need to be reminded that we are just 1 nation and not the world