Should the US Legalize Online Gambling?
The current arrangement in the United States is that online gambling remains ILLEGAL. Most puritans and moralists would acknowledge the decision; Yet what are really the effects of NOT legalizing net gambling?
The party that is most affected is the country of Antigua. In 2003, Antigua appealed to the World Trade Organization that if the United States illegalizes online gambling, they are violating their free trade agreement with Antigua, a small Caribbean island relying on their profits from international internet gambling. The WTO ruled in favor of Antigua and urged the US to legalize net gambling. However, US remained stern and released RESTRICTED policies allowing net gambling. The United States even went as far as charging felony to financial institutions engaging in any related businesses related to online gambling. Along with this, the US files an urgent appeal to the WTO to reverse their decision - to ILLEGALIZE internet gambling.
Perhaps due to the US' ensuing violations, the WTO once again ruled in favor of Antigua holding that online gambling becomes a FREE practice. Additionally, the WTO commented that the United States violations are immoral and that the US should not be 'hypocrites' blocking internet gambling trades with Antigua while freely allowing online wages on horse races and lotteries.
The next step made by the US naturally is to re-appeal, this time trying to reevaluate their original 1994 trade agreement with Antigua, stating that their free trade included recreational services but did NOT NECESSARILY or CLEARLY including gambling (as with other trade agreements).
As of now, the Antigua-U.S. online gambling is still restricted, and the Antigua government is in efforts to retaliate by giving international sanctions against the United States, like waivering US patent and copyright protection (giving chances for LEGAL COUNTERFEIT merchandises).
With the ensuing dispute against the two, some democratic representatives only hope to introduce a new legislation ALLOWING or LEGALIZING online gambling in the United States. On the other hand, net gambling companies who shut down their business in the US continue to suffer an 80 percent loss of revenues. Plus, the black market for online gambling in the United States runs amok.
The United States of course, has some other valid reasons for illegalizing online gambling. Whether they are compromisable to Antigua and the freer US consumers though is still under debate in the US House of Representatives. As proposed by democrat Barney Frank, to legalize net gambling in the United States, a solid bill preventing underage or compulsive gambling and fraud and money laundering through gambling - needs to be pushed forward.
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