American Debate Continues: 2

Barney Frank has been one of the only representatives of the US government that has tried to fight for the online casino industry consistently. Online casinos and internet gambling are such a taboo topic that not many politicians want to stick out their neck and say whether or not they are in support of the industry or not. Mr. Frank does not believe that the European Commission is making fair declarations about the United States and has said that the US government has never intended on controlling the content that is able to be accessed by their citizens. But he does note that the previous administration has a lot to blame for their current standing in the world in more ways than one. The ideological beliefs behind banning online casinos and internet gambling did not fit those of the Bush administration so they did away with the online casino industry, even if it did not work with the World Trade Organization.

The World Trade Organizations has agreements with most of the countries in the world and the European Union may have the rights to seek damages from the United States for the violations of the agreements made by the United States. The online casino related damages may even reach the amount of up to $100 billion. That number is so high that if the European Union is allowed to claim damages from the United States, they would probably have to negotiate for a more reasonable amount of money. The debate may be ended in the near future if the United States changes its laws in regards to online casinos. The latest reports from Europe reveal that there may be more problems for the United States if they do not comply soon. The propositions that have been made in the United States Congress by Frank have only validated the WTO issues. The new laws would allow personal freedom for the American online casino players and would also be a great source of revenue for the country that is currently suffering economically.