The Las Vegas Sun reported that. Britain's culture secretary Tessa Jowell compared the U.S. crackdown on online gambling to the failed alcohol ban of the Prohibition as she prepared to host an international summit on Internet gambling this week.

U.S. officials have declined to participate in Tuesday's gambling summit in London, where lawmakers from 30 countries will discuss ways to regulate the industry, including the protection of minors and keeping the industry free of crime. Officials from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, Malta, Costa Rica and Antigua and Barbuda are expected to attend.

Offficials from Antigua argue that the US ban violates a ruling by the World Trade Organization last year that the United States amend some of its legislation to permit Antiguan gambling operations to offer their services to U.S. citizens. Mark Mendel, who leads Antigua's WTO legal team, said Friday that the summit would put further pressure on the United States to comply with the ruling.