Two renamed U.S. lawmakers have recommended the U.S. Justice Department to postpone its investigation regarding several European Internet gambling companies and their possible incrimination in gambling violations that supposedly happened before the Congress approval of the UIGEA in 2006. Rep. Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, and Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, advised the U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey in two separate letters that this situation could create big problems for the U.S and finally lead to a harmful trade argument between the U.S and the European Union at the World Trade Organization, a situation that hasn’t favored the U.S in previous WTO arbitrations regarding the same issue.

"In all likelihood, this issue will escalate and I understand could result in WTO action focused specifically on how the U.S. government enforces its laws. I cannot see how that can be in the interests of this country," Wexler explained to Mukasey in a letter sent to him yesterday.

Some European online gambling companies and online poker sites have lost billions of dollars and have seen their shares going to the floor after Congress decided to shut down the U.S. market by forcing the banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions to stop processing payments related to online gambling activities.

Many publicly traded European companies, including PartyGaming, bwin and 888.com were forced to leave the U.S market after Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006, however, the U.S continues with a possible criminal prosecution for activities before the bill was passed. That provoked the European Commission to start a formal investigation to determine if Washington was singling out EU companies for enforcement actions, while allowing U.S. online firms to work without any kind of restraints.

Rep Steve Cohen sent letter to Mukasey on July 29th saying that the Justice Department does not have a good motive why to investigate and prosecute what he called "foreign operators who respected congressional intent in 2006 and withdrew from the market, while U.S. companies continue to operate uninterrupted."

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson also asked the U.S to stop any Justice Department action until the EU had finished with its investigation. An EU visit scheduled for July was delayed at the United States' request; however, the EU is currently planning to send a delegation to Washington in September as part of its probe.

MansionPoker.com