 Experts
Detail Impact of US-EU
Agreement on
Internet Gambling
Lasting Damage to
WTO System,
Discriminatory
Practices and
Selective
Prosecution Remain
in Place
The Weiser Group
will host a
conference call
briefing with global
trade experts to
discuss today’s
announcement of an
agreement between
the U.S. and the E.U.
concerning Internet
Gambling at 9:30 am
EST, Tuesday,
December 18, 2007.
European online
gaming companies
were dealt a blow on
Monday as the
European Union
agreed to a US offer
to open some other
services markets as
compensation for
closing its online
gambling market to
foreign operators.
Shares in UK-listed
PartyGaming fell by
4.1 per cent and
Bwin, the Austrian
operator, dropped
2.1 per cent as
hopes for a tougher
line from the EU in
support of online
gambling operators
shut out of the US
appeared to have
been dashed.
“We continue to
believe that it is
better to regulate
than to prohibit,
because the reality
shows that the
prohibition only
drives out the
transparent, listed
operators,” he said.
“We trust the
commission will
continue to push
further for this.”
The agreement, which
seeks to compensate
European industries
in exchange for the
U.S. withdrawal of
access to its
domestic gambling
market, raises more
questions than it
answers:
What will be the
impact on the WTO
system?
How does the
agreement deal with
discriminatory
practices and
selective
prosecution?
How will U.S.
legislative efforts
be affected?
What happens now to
Antigua’s
arbitration with the
U.S.?
The conference call
will take place at
9:30 am EST,
Tuesday, December
18, 2007:
· U.S. based callers
should dial:
1-800-704-9804
· Overseas-based
callers should dial:
1-404-920-6604
· The participant
code for all callers
is: 991446#
Trade experts
participating in the
briefing call will
be:
· Nao Matsukata,
Senior Advisor,
Alston & Bird LLP –
former director of
policy planning for
U.S. Trade
Representative
Robert B. Zoellick
· Lode Van Den Hende,
Herbert Smith LLP –
Brussels-based trade
specialist
representing
European gaming
interests
· Raul Herrera,
Arnold & Porter LLP
– international
trade expert
Industry personnel
are advised to
contact as many as
their friends as
possible in order to
participate.
----
Gambling911.com News
Wire
Originally published
December 17, 2007
7:09 pm EST
|
