European Union Commissioner Peter Mandelson has called on the US to open its gambling market to European operators or compensate them for losses incurred when they violated World Trade Organisation rules and banned Internet gambling. Mandelson spoke out on his tour of Washington, where he met with US Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Congressman Barney Frank to discuss possible legislative solutions to the dispute

If the government's fail to reach an agreement, it is thought that the EU will demand a binding arbitration before a WTO panel.