Can They Walk the Walk?
The politicians in the United States seem very keen to talk a lot of talk these
days, the key question is though, are they willing to walk the walk and actually
enforce some of the policies they tout. The online casino gambling situation is
one area that has created a lot of controversy in the United States and in the
rest of the world because the US has not only created protectionist policies
that exclude foreign competition, but the US politicians seemingly refuse to
acknowledge what was done and how that affected international trade agreements.
The US’s decision to block offshore online casinos directly contravenes WTO
trade agreements and yet the US politicians will not actively discuss that fact.
The US is an international leader and the blatant defiance of a WTO ruling is
pretty dangerous considering other nations could follow suit and operate however
they desired.
One of the big irk-factors in the US online casino gambling situation is the
fact that US politicians are likely to spout out the importance of free and
unobstructed trade in the international economy, yet still, the internet
gambling blocks remain in place. It’s not even important that the US blocks are
wholly ineffective, it’s more the principle that the US politicians can sit in
on international meetings and talk about the US’s commitment to honoring trade
agreements, and at the same time, the UIGEA still stands.
There is a disharmony between what the US officials have said is happening and
have touted as US priorities and the actual policies taking effect. There is no
doubting at this point that the US is violating international trade law with the
online casino gambling ban, but the US politicians are really worsening the
situation with assertions that the US believes in free open trade –obviously
this is not entirely the case. |