WTO against U.S | IXGAMES
A dispute over U.S. enforcement actions against European Union online gambling companies could be headed to the World Trade Organization soon, an European industry group said on Wednesday. That would open the door for possible European sanctions on the United States, although it could take years for any case to make its way through the WTO litigation system. An EU trade official, who briefed reporters on condition he not be identified, said he expected the European Commission to decide by the end of the year whether to start a WTO case. The EU team, which met on Tuesday with representatives of the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, the Justice Department and other U.S. agencies, will make its recommendations in a publicly available report in November. European Internet gambling companies lost billions of euros in market value after the U.S. Congress moved in 2006 to shut down the U.S. market by making it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites. Many publicly traded European companies, like PartyGaming and 888.com, withdrew from the United States after Congress passed the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, but they face possible criminal prosecution for activities before then. The European Commission, acting on industry petition, began a formal investigation in March into whether Washington was singling out EU companies for enforcement actions while allowing U.S. online companies to operate freely. 
Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat who chairs the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe, said the United States should take the EU’s concerns seriously.