10-11-2007 EU Trade Commissioner urges the United States to clear the way for foreign betting operators

During a meeting in Washington, Peter Mandelson asked US lawmakers to bring the country into WTO compliance removing discriminations against foreign betting operators or to compensate the European gambling industry for lost revenues.

Reuters quoted the EU Trade Commissioner as saying: "It's not in the interest of American consumers to have good responsible competitors in this market excluded by regulatory mechanisms."

Mandelson also said the compensation claims aren't quite as large as advertised, even though Brussels lawyer Lode Van Den Hende said the $100 billion figure is a pretty fair assessment based on $85 billion of annual revenues of the US gambling market and an additional $15 billion for internet gambling services.

In related news, members of the US Congress are expected to meet with Antiguan authorities in Antigua to discuss the WTO dispute. Antigua's Finance Minister Errol Cort said US lawmakers will be taken on a tour of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission and of some internet gambling companies to prove that Antigua has the capacity to adequately regulate the industry.