A US politician wants America to BACK OFF from hounding European and other offshore online gambling sites.

Pete Sessions is sponsoring a bill in the House of Representatives which would suspend all prosecutions of online gambling operators who pulled out of the US AFTER the controversial UIGEA law came into force in 2006.

Investigation

Sessions’ bill has now been given the backing of the Remote Gambling Association, the industry body representing Europe’s publicly-listed online gaming operators.

Since March 2008, the EU has been formally investigating America’s continuing prosecution of European online gambling sites after a complaint by the RGA last December.

The RGA argued that US prosecutorial policy is both discriminatory and an ongoing breach of US trade commitments over gambling services. The World Trade Organisation has already ruled against Washington.

Law threat

The European Commission is expected to conclude its investigation before the end of 2008. The decision will determine if the case is sent to the WTO for a ruling which could result in sanctions against the US.

The RGA said on Friday that if H.R. 6663, the UIGEA Clarification Act, becomes law, “it will go a very long way to meeting the concerns of the RGA and the EU”.

Until the bill gets the go-ahead, the RGA warns, all EU operators who have EVER taken business from the US market are potentially still under threat of prosecution.