Antigua and United States to Begin Online Gambling Negotiations
The United States and Antigua will begin talks in the eleventh hour to attempt to amicably resolve their dispute over damages caused the island nation by the U.S.'s prohibition policy against online gambling.
In December of 2007, the World Trade Organization held the U.S. liable to Antigua for the sum of $21 million annually. Although this was a pittance in comparison to the $3.44 billion pursued by Antigua, the U.S. has been reluctant to negotiate a settlement.
The WTO's decision allowed a six month period for the two countries to come to an agreement as to how to resolve the situation before legal proceedings against the U.S. would continue. That grace period will end June 6th, less than a month away.
Now, as the deadline nears, Dr. Errol Cort, Anitigua's Minister of Finance and Economy, has travelled to Washington, D.C., in anticipation of talks starting Friday with United States Trade Representative Ambassador Susan Schwab and other federal officials.
The original issue began in 2003, when Antigua charged that the U.S. was in violation of free trade agreements by blocking American citizens from using online casinos, several of which are based on Antigua. The WTO ruled at that time that the U.S. could not legitimately prevent online gambling operators from doing business within the United States, but the U.S. did not comply.
Several European countries have now begun similar proceedings against the U.S. within the European Union system. If the United States does not wish a lengthy bill due payable to nations around the world, perhaps it best remove its ban against online gambling and comply with the standards to which it agreed when signing international trade compacts.
