In Canada the U.S. UIGEA affected especially the online horse race wagering and lottery operations, according to the Canadian officials.

The biggest problem of this cause is the fact that the UIGEA is not clear enough. It doesn’t allocate governmental recourses for enforcement, but it charges financial institutions with the charge of deciding what actually a gambling transaction is. Considering that the financial services industry in North America has more important problems than online gambling.

Last month an International Masters of Gaming Law Spring Conference had been held in Canada. During this conference, Constance Ladell, of the British Columbia Lottery, criticized specific problems of the UIGEA. She expressed optimism concerning the Barney Frank’s bill. She said that if Frank wins the battle against the UIGEA that would help the Canadians a lot.

Hopefully the international pressure will help Frank to win the cause with his anti UIGEA legislation. The recent conflict with the EU over the perceived fairness of the law seems to make worse the situation for the UIGEA.