20-11-2007 EU Trade Commissioner calls for the US to stop discriminating against foreign gambling operators, again

Peter Mandelson called one more time the United States to open their online gambling market to foreign companies instead of trying to compensate European firms for shutting them out. "What we really need is for the legislation to be put right and for foreign operators to stop being excluded and discriminated against in the way the present U.S. legislation does," he told Reuters.

Meanwhile eight US lawmakers led by IGREA's promoter Barney Frank and by the Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers criticized the U.S. Trade Representative for withdrawing gambling from the WTO agreements without consulting the US Congress. Frank and Conyers also asked the US Government to consider possible legislative solutions to restore compliance with the GATS agreement.

In related news, Rep. Jim McDermott announced the results of a detailed analysis conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers which estimates that regulating internet gambling in the United States would generate between $3.1 billion to $15.2 billion in federal revenues over the first five years, and between $8.7 billion to $42.8 billion over the first ten years.