Costa Rica to join international group seeking WTO compensation

[MiltonFriedman]

Gambling911 reports:

"Costa Rica Will Join Antigua, Japan, India, EU re: US Online Gambling Case
Point-Spreads.com has confirmed that the Central American nation of Costa Rica will now be seeking compensation from the United States for economic hardships brought on by the US crackdown related to online gambling. They will join Antigua, Japan, India and the European Union.

But no country has been more hurt by recent US online gambling legislation than Costa Rica, which services more web gambling firms than any other nation in the world.

One of the biggest hits came last year when the United States government handed down nearly a dozen indictments against principals of BetonSports. That company was forced to shut down and lay off over 1000 employees.

Bodog.com, BetUS.com and other major Costa Rican employers have had to downsize their operations in that country as a result. At one time it was widely believed that the Internet gambling sector employed at least 10,000 Costa Ricans either directly or indirectly (through support jobs).

But the economic barometer really swings out of position when one considers that online gambling has helped to fuel dozens of other industries within Costa Rica. Everything from restaurants to banking to the hotel sector has been affected by the slowdown in online gaming. "

I have an source, independent of Gambling911, for the same report that Costa Rica is joining the "online gaming" claimants group.