Does Anyone Know Implications Of This US vs. Antigua Story?

[InternetPokerPro]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the tiny Caribbean
state of Antigua and Barbuda have broken off talks to resolve a high
stakes dispute over the U.S. ban on Internet gambling, a U.S. trade
official said on Thursday.

"Unfortunately we were not able to reach a settlement," despite
several meetings over the past four months," said Richard Mills, a
spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
Online gambling has grown rapidly, with spending of around $7.5
billion this year, according to industry estimates.
In a decision that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick called
"deeply flawed," a World Trade Organization (news - web sites) panel
agreed earlier this year with Antigua and Barbuda's claim that the
United States' ban on Internet gambling violated global trade rules.

Although Zoellick said the United States would appeal, the two sides
suspended litigation in June in the hopes of reaching a negotiated
settlement.
"Our delegation presented a number of proposals for the U.S.'s
consideration, but, sadly, they were not prepared to accept them,"
Harold Lovell, minister of tourism, foreign affairs and
international transport and trade for the twin-island Caribbean
state, said in a statement last Friday.
"What they offered as an alternative was not acceptable to us,"
Lovell added.
Trade officials said Antigua and Barbuda was expected to formally
notify the WTO on Nov. 4 that it wants to resume the litigation
process. That would clear the way for the WTO to publicly release
the panel ruling and for the United States to proceed with its
appeal.

[GrannyMae]

vote kerry

[BusterStacks]

[ QUOTE ]
vote kerry

[/ QUOTE ]
This is probably the worst advice you have ever given.

Do you see why?

[Shoe]

No, please explain.

[uaw420rook]

I dont get it either. religous anti-gaming zealots with Bush. Liberal freedom to sin with Kerry. Vote Kerry

[Cubswin]

This is probably the worst advice you have ever given.

Do you see why?

I will be posting my complete election guide for e-gamblers this upcoming weekend so I will just make a few brief observations at this time. Both Kerry and Bush would likely sign anti e-gaming legislation if a bill were to pass Congress. However, it has now been 9 years since the first attempt by Senator Kyl to legislate on e-gaming and thankfully little progress has been made. I see this trend continuing over the next few years unless the legislation is attached to a larger, more salient bill like Congressman Oxley attempted to do a month ago.

The government agency that has been the most proactive, and hence the biggest threat to e-gaming, has been, and will continue to be, the Department of Justice. Think about the DoJ's recent blitz on media outlets and the seizing of money from Discovery. Mr Ashcroft is hands down the most conservative member of the Bush cabinet and has been the biggest thorn in the side of e-gaming. While the Bush cabinet will be reshuffled if (when) he wins, Ashcroft might again be called back for the second term. Even if he were not, any republican attorney general would likely take a harder line on e-gaming then a Kerry appointed AG. More to come on this topic this weekend....


cubs

[Cubswin]

There are few implications if the US and Antigua do not reach an agreement. From the January 28, 2004 Wall Street Journal ( link (http://www.freejaycohen.com/WallStJournalWTOCohenJan282004.pdf?page=9&show_bri efing=3128&no_paragraphs=t)):

"A ruling that the US is violating trade laws in the Internet case would have the same force as the WTO's decision that US steel tariffs were illegal. That finding authorized Europe to impose retaliatory tariffs and prompted President Bush to withdraw the US levies. In this case, allowing Antigua to slap tariffs on U.S. exports would have virtually no impact on America's global exports, so the WTO could authorize Antigua to violate US intellectual property rights by, for example, legally pirating American music or computer software. Antigua, though, says it's only interested in opening the US market for online gambling"

Things will really get a lot more interesting when the UK passes their Gambling Bill next summer and becomes the first major country to authorize and regulate e-gaming. I havnt been posting all those news stories about the UK's gambling bill for no reason at all /images/graemlins/smile.gif

cubs

[GrannyMae]

This is probably the worst advice you have ever given.

if i told you to get out of your chair, lick your own penis and stick in an electrical outlet, it would not even come close to the worst advice <font color="red"> I </font> have ever given at 2+2.

however, in this case i am right.

Best Wishes,

Granny-usually-posts-before-she-reads Mae

http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/u/franky.gif

[MS Sunshine]

"if i told you to get out of your chair, lick your own penis and stick in an electrical outlet, it would not even come close to the worst advice I have ever given at 2+2."

I would recommend having a battery-backup for your computer system first buster. Perhaps sitting out of your games would be best.

MS Sunshine

[Bob Moss]

[ QUOTE ]
I dont get it either. religous anti-gaming zealots with Bush. Liberal freedom to sin with Kerry. Vote Kerry

[/ QUOTE ]

Someday you'll grow up and realize that it's the Democrats that are the more inherently evil party.

Bob