Lawmakers press USTR for new tack in gambling case

LAWMAKERS PRESS USTR FOR NEW TACK IN GAMBLING CASE
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Doug Palmer]
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and six other lawmakers criticized the Bush administration's handling of Internet gambling. In a letter to US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, they suggest the Administration should explore legislation to roll back a U.S. ban on Internet gambling instead of paying compensation to the European Union and other trading partners. Rather than comply with a negative WTO ruling in a case filed by the Caribbean nation Antigua and Barbuda, the United States announced earlier this year it was "clarifying" it never intended to allow foreign firms to offer Internet gambling services as part of the 1994 Uruguay Round trade pact. That opened the door for other trading partners to demand compensation for the United States' decision to retroactively exclude Internet gambling from its commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, or GATS.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1841672220071119