Antigua back in the ring

The long-running dispute between Antigua and Barbuda and the U.S. Government on online gambling payments to businesses outside of the U.S. and the subsequent World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling favouring the island nation has reared its head again.

Antigua Finance Minister Harold Lovell has threatened unspecified sanctions against the U.S. should the country’s authorities fail to lift what he terms a “trade blockade” that prevents Antigua and Barbuda from hosting internet gambling.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Lovell said: “Absent a reversal of the U.S. government’s illegal blockade of legitimate commerce from our nation, Antigua is prepared to explore the right to exact sanctions on industries in the U.S.”

The statement follows recent comments from U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk on a WTO free trade challenge filed against China regarding subsidised exports of auto parts.

Highlighting Kirk’s comments, Lovell said: “Antigua and Barbuda hopes this unequivocal stance signals an end to the U.S. government’s decade-long violation of WTO rulings in online gambling”.

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