As part of a series of changes to the Law Number 56/2007, published last December 28th, Spain introduced an additional measure in which the government is forced to approve, in a year, a law in which games and bets are regulated, “in particular those made by interactive systems based in electronic communications”. One of the principles to which the law should attend, is the following:

The Financial Times has reported a deal signed late last month between the United States and three fellow World Trade Organisation (WTO) nations seeking compensation in the wake of an online gambling dispute has been revealed as less meaningful than was first hoped. The dispute arose last year after the Americans lost a WTO dispute with Antigua and Barbuda over discriminatory legislation covering online gambling.

In a surprise move, the United States has “advised” Antigua and Barbuda to delay taking any action after being awarded USD 21 million in annual trade sanctions by a World Trade Organisation (WTO) arbitration panel earlier this month. According to the Associated Press news agency, US Trade Representative Spokesman Sean Spicer stated that the tiny Caribbean island nation should wait to implement any sanctions pending American changes to its international trade obligations under the WTO treaty.

The United States Friday urged Antigua to hold off on imposing sanctions authorized by the WTO in a dispute over online gambling, saying Washington was revising its WTO commitments. US Trade Representative (USTR) spokesman Sean Spicer advised Antigua to delay any action after an arbitrator for the Geneva-based World Trade Organization allowed the Caribbean nation to impose sanctions worth USD 21 million a year, with the right to target US services, copyrights and trademarks.

Antigua and Barbuda expects to receive a big damage award from the World Trade Organization in a long-running Internet gambling dispute with the United States, a lawyer for the Caribbean nation said this week. The expected ruling by a WTO arbitration panel is set for tomorrow, Friday. “We feel pretty confident about our case, to be honest. We really feel like we have the upper hand here,” Mark Mendel, a private attorney representing Antigua.

As the contentious trade dispute between Europe and the US over Internet gaming industry continues, the British Government said it favored US regulation of Internet gambling as opposed to prohibition. "The British Government has signaled quite clearly its support for regulation rather than prohibition of gambling by the recent implementation of the (Unlawful Internet) Gambling Act," said Emily Bourne...

Bulgarian Ministry of Finance submitted proposals that would regulate and tax online betting following a recent review. According to one of its major newspapers, Trud, the nation has been considering a more pragmatic approach to online gambling. Trud newspaper said a more pragmatic approach has been considered for over a year as hundreds of millions of dollars are thought to leak through online gambling sites untaxed.

Hillary Clinton has received the support of some powerful and influential gambling executives in Las Vegas. Her campaign has announced the formation of the Nevada Business Leadership Council which is headed by Jan Jones, a former Las Vegas Mayor and a current lobbyist for Harrah’s Entertainment. Phil Sartre, former chairman and CEO of Harrah’s, Howard Lefkowitz, CEO of Vegas.com, Henry Terry...

The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve continue to finalize a new rule that would put the onus on banks to help crack down on online gambling by US citizens, a Treasury official said Wednesday. In prepared remarks, Deputy Assistant Secretary Valerie Abend said banking regulators are focusing their efforts on banks that do business with gambling companies, as well as the interaction between US banks and foreign banks that may be tied to online gambling.

Washington, D.C. (November 13, 2007) – Tomorrow the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine the United States policies as they relate to Internet gaming. Annie Duke, one of the top poker players in the world will testify before the Committee on behalf of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister says he is hopeful that weekend meetings with members of the U.S. Congress would help resolve an ongoing trade battle with the United States over Internet gambling. Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer discussed the dispute with New York Democrat Representative Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and three other members of the Congressional Black Caucus Sunday on the sidelines of a regional business conference.

The United States must change an Internet gambling law that discriminates against European companies by preventing them from offering services in the U.S. market, the European Union’s top trade official said last week. "What we need to see is a change in U.S. legislation that removes that discrimination against EU operators," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told reporters before heading to Capitol Hill to discuss the issue with U.S. lawmakers.