Online Casinos and the WTO
The World Trade Organization really has its work cut out for it right now as the
global economy is tanking and various countries are undertaking new and often
questionable legislation as a fix for their own economies. The latest debacle to
hit the WTO has been an ongoing issue that is really beginning to resurface as
the online casino gambling issues heats up. The WTO has ruled that the US
government’s internet gambling policy is illegal and that the government needs
to immediately begin rectifying the legislation that is in explicit
contravention of WTO treaties and policies. The US though has adamantly and
point-blank refused to acknowledge that the WTO has a valid point where the
online casinos are concerned and has ignored the requests for new US policy. Now
though the US government is showing its hypocritical side with the outspoken
opposition to China’s online gambling policy.
The Chinese government is guilty of extreme censorship in the nation,
particularly where online casino gambling is concerned. The government has a
zero tolerance policy, blocks internet casinos at the ISP level, and has
employed a lot of police manpower to track down illegal online gambling rings
and arrest those involved. New policies in the country are aimed at filtering
internet content right on personal computers before they are even sold to the
consumers. The WTO has a problem with this legislation and as it violates the
rights of the citizens according to WTO policies.
What’s really interesting about the situation is that the United States
government has expressed concern that China is not in accordance with WTO policy
– despite the Chinese government’s position on online casino gambling, there is
no call to censor internet content to that extent. And as much as the US raises
its voice, it looks like a hypocrite because the WTO ruling on the US still
stands without any acknowledgement or action from even the new Obama
Administration. |