US Set To Appeal Unfavourable WTO Internet Gambling Ruling
Following the failure of bilateral talks between the United States and Antigua
and Barbuda over the former's move to ban its citizens from using internet gambling
sites, it emerged this week that the US authorities are readying themselves
for a renewed struggle. Antigua and Barbuda brought the case to the World Trade Organisation in 2003,
arguing that by restricting the internet gambling activities of US citizens,
the United States was unfairly damaging the jurisdiction's economy, in contravention
of the General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS). After the US lost an arbitration proceeding under the trade dispute resolution
process of the WTO in March, both sides attempted to reach a negotiated settlement.
However, following four months of negotiations, Dr Errol Court, Antigua’s finance
minister, revealed last month that all opportunities for a mutually agreed settlement
have been “fully exhausted.” The Caribbean jurisdiction has now asked the WTO to rule on the matter. However,
speaking to the Associated Press on Tuesday, the US deputy chief of mission
to the Eastern Caribbean, Mary Ellen Gilroy revealed that: "The WTO has not yet ruled. But the US will look at the ruling and may
appeal if the decision goes against it." A comprehensive report detailing the online gambling sector in the key offshore jurisdictions is available in the Tax News Reports Shop at http://www.tax-news.com/reportshop/
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