U.S. And Antigua Set Friday Deadline To Settle Internet Gambling Dispute

The United States and Antigua have been locked in negotiations over an Internet gambling dispute. The pressure is now on for both to get a deal done after they set a deadline for negotiations of Friday.

Antigua has accused the United States of destroying its gambling industry by banning Americans from gambling online. The move has affected many companies that are based in the Island of Antigua.

The World Trade Organization has up until now let the two sides try and work out their differences on the issue. They did, however, back Antigua in their bid to target U.S. services , trademarks, and copyrights. Antigua could only impose up to $21 million annually in trade sanctions.

U.S. Trade Representative spokesman Sean M. Spicer believes that a settlement could be reached before the Friday deadline. The settlement will be tough to broker, however, thanks to a law passed in 2006 that bans banks from processing payments to gambling companies located outside of the United States.

Finance Minister Errol Cort also believes that sitting face to face with U.S. representatives could provide the interaction necessary to resolve the dispute. If the United States fails to enter into an agreement, they risk severe sanctions down the road.

A WTO deadline has already passed so most likely this will be the last attempt made by the two sides to solve the dispute on their own. The additional time until Friday will help the sides determine whether there is a friendly way of solving this issue, according to Cort.

June 17, 2008
Posted By Bob Hartman
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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