Deal Instead of Gambling Access

The United States’ decision to ban online gambling does not solely affect American citizens. Costa Rica, for one, has experienced a drop in its economy with sites based in its territory losing much of their business.

This week, the US has come up with a solution to the World Trade Organization’s obligation involving Costa Rican online gambling websites, seemingly to the satisfaction of both parties.

Since the creation of the new law, the US has denied online gambling companies based in Costa Rica access to US customers.

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Similar to the agreements made with Canada, Japan and the European Union, the US has offered Costa Rica greater access toward research and development, storage, technical testing and analysis. Although online gambling will not be exported from Costa Rica, the new solution should be of great value to the nation.

Reaching an agreement was not easy, but the new terms satisfy the interest of every party involved. “The agreement has been satisfactory for the country,” declares Costa Rican Foreign Trade Minister Marco Ruiz.

The access-shift was decided after Costa Rica filed for arbitration before the WTO. According to WTO policies, the organization must compensate any country blocked from access to one of a range of markets.

For more on the WTO and its involvement in international regulation of online gambling, visit our Directory.