The European Union has announced that it may challenge the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (UIGEA) which was brought into force in October 2006 by the United States government. The act, which effectively killed the online gaming industry in the US, forced internet gambling companies to withdraw from the American market and brought several such organisations to their knees.

But now Charlie McCreevy, Internal Market Commissioner of the European Union, has made a statement about the UIGEA, saying: “In my view it is probably a restrictive practice and we might take it up in another fora.”

The feeling is that the US government introduced the controversial legislation in order to lock overseas gaming companies out of the American internet gambling market. Such protectionism is against the rules of the World Trade Organisation, and McCreevy named the WTO as a possible avenue for challenging the act legally. “It’s not my intention to bring forward a harmonised piece of legislation on gambling in the European Union,” he said.

McCreevy is no stranger to the concept of protectionism, and is not averse to tackling it when it is recognised. He has brought legal proceedings against several EU countries in the past to confront obstacles to foreign competition. Whilst McCreevy is unlikely to rush into any legal challenge, his announcement will have undoubtedly given internet gaming companies victimised by the UIGEA some hope of retribution. As far as we are concerned, the sooner this hope is realised, the better.

Related stories
eGaming Arrests in America
American protectionism
BetOnSports CEO Arrested