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.