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Antigua’s dissatisfaction with the investigation being pursued by European Commission regarding the online casinos and the protectionist United State policy was voiced by attorney Mark Mendel.

The Remote Gaming Association is the agency seeking the investigation.  Chief Executive Clive Hawkswood offers some insight on concerns of the leading Antigua attorney.  Antigua sued the United States for damages after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act damaged online casinos and the Internet gambling market in the United States.  According, the Mendel, the European Commission investigation is toothless.

The suit brought against the United States was settled in 2007, but the United States refused to pay the settlement.  Since then the European Union has bargained with the United States for a news settlement.  According to Hawkswood the problem is that the United States refusal to honor the original settlement while it was still in effect.

Hawkswood has two very particular concerns regarding the actions taken by the United States.  First is that the United States stepped outside of the GATS accord “by pursuing enforcement action against EU individuals and businesses for conducting trade (ie online casinos) that should have been permissible under that Agreement.”

In other words, this is referring to United States department of justice and its continuing harassment of online casinos and their representatives even though these Internet gambling companies were acting in accord with the GATS agreement.   

The other issue Hawkswood takes with the United States is that they have unfairly targeted foreign entities for prosecution.  However the United states “has not taken similar action against US based companies and so it has acted in a discriminatory fashion.”

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