The European Union has in many ways taken on the role of police for the way that countries regulate online casinos.  That is not exactly true, but the European Union has a trade agreement with several countries; not just the countries in the Union.  Part of the reason that the United States has been receiving pressure to regulate online casinos is because the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is a direct violation of European Union trade agreements.

The European Union has had some success with enforcing their trade agreement laws regarding online casinos.  The most recent countries to be warned of not complying with trade agreements when it comes to online casinos are Belgium and France.

Belgium is hot topic right now.  Belgium is home to some of the worlds best poker players and it is common knowledge the poker players tend to hone their skill and make their living playing poker online.  Under the new agreement passed by Belgium lawmakers the major online poker sites like Party Poker, Poker Stars, and Full Tilt would have to turn away wagers from Belgium players. 

However, the European Union has not been 100 percent consistent in the enforcement of their trade agreement standards.  While the United States, France, and Belgium have been warned about deviating from the trade agreement, Italy has been permitted place their own regulations on the online gambling industry.  That may be because while Italy has passed their own regulations, they do not come across as protectionist law when examined by the European Commission.