As one of the online gaming industry’s oldest and most trustworthy gambling jurisdictions, Antigua has issued a large number of licenses to the leading online gaming operators around the world. Currently, this jurisdiction is engaged in a bitter dispute with the United States with regards to specific online gambling operators. The United States does not recognize the legitimacy of Antigua’s licensed operators regardless of exact decisions made by the World Trade Organization.
Rejection of Compromise
Antigua has attempted to find a compromise with the United States following a lack of compliance with the World Trade Organization rulings. The compromise was also rejected and the criminal indictments by the Department of Justice will remain intact. As a result, Antigua has reacted strongly in disagreement with these actions.
A Statement from the Antiguan Minister of Finance and Economy
The Minister of Finance and Economy in the country has released a statement highlighting that the United States continues to charge and prosecute non-domestic online gambling operators of violating International law. The World Trade Organization finds these prosecutions a breach of an International treaty.
A Statement from Antigua Legal Counsel
click here to see most Popular PagesAccording to Antigua legal counsel, since the United States benefits more than any country from the rules of the World Trade Organization, they should not be allowed to break the rules when a situation is against their interests. The prevention of online licensed gambling on American soil is said to be economic protectionism. This situation is difficult to find a compromise due to the United States’ adherence to personal law and unwillingness to budge from that mindset.
Future Steps for Antigua
The dispute between the two countries is currently at a stand-still. The government has taken this opportunity examine all available options for compromise based on the World Trade Organization decision. The jurisdiction is reviewing how to best push the rulings by the organization. Since Antigua has not been successful, they are looking to go back to the World Trade Organization to gather international support so the United States can follow procedure.
This might be an uphill battle with the United States. Since the country is an economy powerhouse that significantly leads the world in trade, their bargaining chips could overrule any World Trade Organization ruling. It will be interesting to see how this pans out as this debacle could become a major step forward for the online gambling industry.
