The small country of Antigua has since some time been waging an unsuccessful legal fight against the U.S. over the UIGEA. Now the European Union has joined in. A large number of Europe based online poker rooms and casinos are suffering because U.S. players are unable to play online.
In June 2008 the European Union sent a detailed questionnaire to many U.S. authorities seeking explanation for the rationale behind the UIGEA, which they insinuated was discriminatory. The U.S. Trade Representative's office sent back a terse reply stating that there was “no basis for any allegation of discriminatory enforcement of US gambling laws.”
Now a EU delegation consisting of representatives of Remote Gaming Association headed by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson will meet U.S. officials to discuss the prosecutions and restrictive practices conducted under the provisions of the UIGEA. EU is not Antigua and if there is no favorable response from the U.S. this could lead to retaliatory sanctions against America's banking industry.