by: Gene Koprowski.
The European Union is calling upon the U.S. to open
talks on lifting a ban on online gambling companies, claiming,
correctly, that the prohibition violates global trade rules.
The EU claims it may well seek damages through the World Trade Organization, as the ban stops foreign Internet gambling sites from operating in America.
The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, said the U.S. ban excluded gambling sites such as Britain's PartyGaming PLC and Sportingbet PLC from the lucrative $4 billion U.S. market, causing companies to lose revenue and stock market pricing.
Nearly half the world's online gamblers are based in the U.S.
Gambling firms claim the ban lost them up to $100 billion.
Casino operators said it was unfair that European companies could not operate in America while U.S. companies offered Internet games to Europeans.
The EU may still sue the U.S. for breaking WTO rules. The news comes nearly six months into new President Barack Obama's tenure, and, thus far, it appears that hopes for a "thawing" of relations with the EU over gambling were misplaced.
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