Online Gambling

Recently a European Union court ruled against Italy in a case where Italian officials were trying to ban foreign online gambling sites from doing business with Italian citizens. Italy had successfully prosecuted three officials of a online gambling establishment in the UK. However, the European Union court ruled that those individuals had been unduly prosecuted, because if Italy could ban outside companies from doing business with Italian citizens then they would be violating the Union's freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services laws.

This ruling sounds like pretty bad news for the morally responsible couturiers of the European Union, because the court is saying that even if one country such as Italy wants to try to keeps its citizens safe from the perils of gambling there government can be undermined by other not so responsible countries. However, in their ruling the court did say that since the nature of gambling is such a morally reprehensible and financially bad thing that countries could ban that type of competition, as long as they had a sound enough case, and in the courts eyes the case the Italian's made was not strong enough for such regulations.

The American government also struggles with trying to control online gambling. Although establisments that claim home in the United States are illegal most of the popular online gambling sites in America claim their home to be in the Caribiian or overseas. Although the American government would have an easier time banning online gambling then the Italian officals, because America operates as an Idividual where as Italy is of course a member of the Europan Union.