Antigua and US attempt to settle gambling dispute
Friday, July 2, 2004
GENEVA, Switzerland: A dispute between the
US and the Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda over alleged breaches of
world trade agreements caused by America's hard line on internet gambling has
entered into settlement negotiations, according to Reuters.
The island state complained to the World Trade Organisation last year that US
moves against internet gambling are discriminatory and in breach of
international trade agreements that require the US to allow foreign internet
companies to offer their services to US citizens.
The US responded that gambling on the
internet is different from casino-based gambling, not least because of the
difficulty in preventing children from accessing the services. It also said
that the restrictions it has put in place do not in fact breach the trade
agreements, which allow for exceptions for moral reasons. It also pointed out
that when the WTO was set up in 1995, gambling services were excluded from its
remit.
But these arguments were rejected by the WTO
in early May, when the organisation issued a final report finding that the US
was in breach of the WTO rules. Appeal
processes now appear to have been shelved until 23rd August, according to
Reuters. Antigua and Barbuda, with a
population of less than 70,000, has an economy largely dependent on tourism,
but with a growing market in internet gambling. The country has lost around
US$30 million since the US began its attempts to restrict Americans’ access to
on-line gambling services.
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