It didn\’t take long for the latest U.S. Department of Justice anti-online-gambling action — subpoenaing at least 16 European banks that did business with PartyGaming, 888, and others — to rub some powerful Brits the wrong way. Though the UK banking industry and their political cohorts could presumably care less about poker, they are publicly balking at the insinuation that the US has any semblance of jurisdiction:
Alan Duncan, Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, said: There is growing suspicion that the US Department of Justice is using its muscle in a highly unpleasant manner, and is targeting financial institutions beyond their own shores in a way that cannot be justified. I hope the Department will stop and review its approach so that its behaviour doesn’t sour relations between us.
Of course if online gambling sites don\’t feel safe in London, they can always set up shop on Sealand.
NOTE: The DOJ\’s legal requests hardly constitute economic warfare … but they are hurting (at least temporarily) the legitimate British businesses that prosecutors want to make the bad guys.
