EU Might Challenge US Gambling Ban

U.S. restrictions on online gambling may be challenged by the European Union, according to remarks by the top financial regulator on Tuesday.

The legality of Internet gambling in the United States was ambiguous for many years, but it was effectively banned last October when U.S. President George W. Bush signed legislation outlawing financial transactions for gaming. Several British online gambling firms were forced out of the U.S. market as a result.

"In my view it is probably a restrictive practice and we might take it up in another fora,' EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy told the European Parliament.

McCreevy later told reporters the U.S. rules were a 'prima facie' case of protectionism and that the World Trade Organisation was a possible venue for tackling them.

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