EU Needs to Deal with Their Problems at Home First

July 21, 2009 | News Category: Gaming Law

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The European Union have begun talks with the United States in connection with the protectionist manner in which the US has been dealing with trade, especially where it concerns Internet gambling. The EU is requesting that the US comply with World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations when it comes to overseas trade issues.

While it is true that the US needs to clean up its act with regard to international trade, especially when it comes to opening up the online gambling market to overseas operators, the EU still has a long way to go in the same direction.

The policy of the EU, as far as online gambling is concerned, is one that allows free trade and open markets. In reality, however, the EU has been struggling to get their member states to comply with this policy. More than half the EU member states have introduced their own laws, which have not been in line with those of the EU, and do not allow fair competition within for online casinos within their borders.

The Chairman and CEO of iMEGA (Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association), Joe Brennan, Jr. has said that with the EU having their own issues regarding online gambling that it is likely that the US lawmakers have not taken them too seriously when they demand that the US fall in line with legislation that they themselves have not yet been able to do. The EU is in the process of trying to deal with the issues that have arisen in this regard, however, the process of the EU's justice system, and how things are enforced, can be a very long and slow process.

The EU does not demand of its states that they must have online, or any other form of gambling. However, it does demand of them that if the state offers online gambling, it needs to be done as part of the free trade agreement, allowing foreign operators to run online gambling within their borders too.

The Netherlands and Sweden both protect their much desired gambling revenues by protecting domestic state-owned online gambling monopolies. Although the EU has threatened them with legal proceedings, the process requires a number of warnings, each being more serious than its previous one, after which hearings can begin to take place.

It seems that each time the EU issues warnings to a member state to bring their laws in line, another EU state has begun the process of introducing further illegal blocks. Perhaps the EU needs to concentrate more on dealing with their problems at home first!