In December, the U.S. Trade Office announced it had reached an agreement with Europe, Japan, and Canada that would involve the U.S. making major trade concessions in order to both keep its ban on Internet gambling, and simultaneously allow exemptions to that ban for state lotteries and horse racing. The agreement meant that the U.S. was willing to force U.S consumers and businesses to pay so that the federal government could prevent U.S. citizens from playing poker online.
Strangely, the federal government also refused to release the terms of the settlement. So Ed Brayton filed a FOIA request with the U.S. Trade Office to release the terms of the settlement. They responded this week. They have refused to disclose the details “in the interests of national security.”
Awesome. There is no way state lotteries and horse racing didn’t have a hand in that.