October 14, 2006

LAW? WHAT LAW?



Bush signs the control on internet gaming bill


CURACAO/WASHINGTON
– President Bush has signed the UIGE Act today. With this Act, the United States can start controlling the internet gaming, and banks and credit card companies are prohibited to transfer money to internet companies that are engaged in gaming.


According to some people, the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act can yet be favourable for countries in the Caribbean. The British press agency Reuters reports that online casino-operators in London are massively pulling out, but companies in Costa Rica, Antigua, and Curacao can yet reap profit from the Act.


There are several internet gaming companies active in Curacao. They will soon experience the consequences of the American Act, said lawyer Karel Frielink of the Curacao online gaming industry earlier. But on the long run, the damage will be better than anticipated, because those that want to gamble will find a way to get around the ban. (So basically, they aren't going to obey the law.)


Reuters reports that contrary to earlier reports, Antigua and Costa Rica do not fear the US-Act at all. Worse still, they can profit from the fact that British companies are closing their doors out of fear of being extradited.


Caribbean islands have fewer drastic extradition treaties (if that’s the case, then it does not apply to the Neth. Antilles, editor). However, more important than extradition is the fact that a person that violates the new law will be arrested when entering the US. Antigua guesses that the Americans are handling against the World Trade Organization principles and are taking ‘protectionist and discriminative’ measures.


Bodog.com in Costa Rica of multi-millionaire Calvin Ayre has confidence that her business is established in such a manner that she does not have to fear. Frielink in Curacao told this paper earlier that Asia is an important growth market. “Thus it is important to offer those games that are popular there.” He is still afraid that it is not going to be easy to have the transactions of Asian banks go via American bank, which is mostly the case now. “Banks in New York have pressured the local banks in the past not to meddle with online gambling.”


Reuter says that there are approximately 2700 gaming websites worldwide. About 170 of these have announced that they will keep out American gamblers. The worldwide turnover of internet gaming is by now 12 million dollars, of which 30 to 50 percent come from the United States.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

U.S. has to start minding other countries bussiness. They dont pay a dime to Curacao, or any of the Antillian islands so but out. You have bigger problems in your own country to deal with, so deal with them first and when you are clean then we can talk.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't this article say more about american addiction to gambling then anything else? There is not one other country in the world that prohibits internet gambling (although, apparently, ythe Dutch government is rearing it's ugly head in this also to stop Dutch people from gambling online).
Isn't this bill also not more of an idea from the states that have casino's, so they are trying to protect their casino's?
Either you are against gambling (and then you should also shut down Las Vegas, Atlantic City, etc) or you do allow it, including on the internet!

John C.