By Observer Media - Thursday, September 20th, 2012.
St. John?s Antigua- Antigua & Barbuda used the presence of its Finance Minister at the US Online Gaming Law 2012 Forum to make a case for an amicable resolution to the cross-border gaming row between this country and the USA.
Harold Lovell is in Las Vegas for the September 19 and 20 forum. His keynote address, delivered during the morning session on day one, highlighted the history of the dispute, the ruling of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in favour of the twin-island nation, and the fact the US remains in violation of international law by maintaining and enforcing anti-gambling laws extraterritorially against remote gaming service providers.
Minister Lovell was invited, the organisers said, because it was thought that his ?expertise and involvement in this topical issue would add significant value? for the delegates.
During his address, Lovell noted the December 23, 2011 ruling of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which indicated that the restrictions it had been enforcing apply only to interstate gambling on sporting contests.
?The highly technical memorandum, which seems to have been prompted by the states of Illinois and New York wishing to move their state lotteries online, centres on the so-called Wire Act, one of the laws ruled in violation of the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) by the WTO.
?To our minds, the plain language of the Wire Act clearly indicates that it is applicable only to wagering on sporting contests, but, in recent years, the Department of Justice had insisted that the Wire Act applied to any and every kind of gaming,? Lovell said.
The minister said while the decision was ?narrow,? the implications are enormous, especially when viewed jointly with a recent decision that poker is not subject to anti-gambling laws, since it is a game of skill not chance.
Lovell spoke during a session focussed on the DOJ decision on the Wire Act. That segment pondered, as the minister did, if the decision is a game changer for remote gaming services.
The forum attracted participation from attorneys, business leaders, online operators, regulators and tech companies among others.
Lovell is due back on Friday.
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Source: http://www.antiguaobserver.com/?p=81226
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