Antigua is Resigned
The United States seems to increasingly look like the bad guys in the
international dispute with Antigua over U.S. online casinos gambling
restrictions. Antigua and the U.S. have been involved in some form of dispute
through the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the past nearly five years – and
just when it looks like the dispute might be getting somewhere, the U.S. fails
to meet another deadline. Mark Mendel, the lawyer representing the small island
nation of Antigua and Barbuda in this online casinos related dispute commented
weeks ago that the nation expected a settlement proposal by the end of March.
Well, not surprisingly it’s now into April and the U.S. has not submitted the
promised settlement proposal.
The WTO is involved in resolving the dispute at the request of Antigua and
Barbuda because the small nations are unable to command that respect of the U.S.
Trade Representatives without the authority and backing of the WTO. But even
with the WTO requesting that the U.S. comply with international trade agreements
concerning the free movement of online casinos gambling services, there has been
little cooperation from the Bush administration. In fact, the U.S. is so adamant
about maintaining the protectionist online casino gambling legislation that it
has actually now paid the EU in trade compensations for the right to block
offshore internet gambling companies.
Antigua and Barbuda currently have $21 million worth of sanctions against the
U.S. that were granted by the WTO as a way for the nations to recoup some of
their costs. But despite threats to use the $21 million worth of compensation
sanctions on U.S. movie industry copyrights, the small island nations are
waiting a bit longer before taking further action against the U.S. It is still a
waiting game to see if the U.S. actually plans to submit a settlement agreement
with Antigua and Barbuda. |