Quote:
Originally Posted by Adult Lounge - Brad
I don't get this case...it is the US players who are backing this recent Poker craze right? They advertise the shit out of it all over the US and Canada and probably everywhere else and then they turn around and punish the people who are making money with it how does this make any sense? Is the problem just that the money - which by the sounds of it is primarly US - is leaving the country? or is there another problem here? Anyone know what the main issues are in the case?
|
From what has been presented to the WTO by US "reps" - they want to make as many laws as possible to stop US citizens gaming. The purpose is to defend the existing gaming industry in the US.
In 2003 there was a case raised by the World Trade Org with the US on one side and Antigua, Canada, the UK and a few other countries on the other. This issue was restrictive trading with regard to movements of funds used in gaming transactions. In 2005 the WTO ruled against the US and then gave a time period for compliance. Three US laws exist which are in conflict with WTO treaties - The Wire Act, Travel Act and the other bullshit law they passed recently. The US has been proclaiming it is now compliant with it's obligations, but the opposing parties and the WTO do not agree that any attempt has been made to comply.
In the next couple of weeks the WTO is due to publish it's final penalty/sanction ruling for failure to comply. At the moment it appears the US is on a head-on collision course with the WTO and could face some damage in the process.
To quote a US legal opinion - "What Congress is really doing is putting the U.S. on a clear collision course with free trade and the WTO."
Silly conduct where individuals are being arrested on US soil for alleged offenses which are the exact nature of the US/WTO problem, either demonstration how stupid the DOJ is or they don't care about trading agreements.