Online Casino Gambling News - by Gamblers Lodge

WTO in Favor of Antigua & Barbuda Casino Industry Online

The U.S. government started opening up doors it shouldn’t have. Not only have they threatened advertisers to cease taking online casino ads, they recently accused the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda of violating its agreement with US trade laws by allowing American bettors to make financial transactions at many of the online casino companies based from the island.

However, the World Trade Organization, who was to rule on whether Antigua and Barbuda would have to shut down its online casino operations, surprisingly voted that the U.S. was in violation of its own obligations to the General Agreement on Trade in Services Act (GATS). Specifically, the U.S. was cited for not providing free trade in commercial services under the agreement, and that three federal laws and four state laws were in violation of the GATS.

The U.S. defended its non-compliance, referring to a section in the GATS that stated it could end its commitment to the free trade because the GATS stated there was obligation only to recreational services and not "sporting", which the U.S. claims is the same as gambling. However, the WTO did not agree and ruled that gambling, online casino gambling and/or sports betting did not fall under the term "sporting". The WTO went on the recall that the U.S. had an opportunity to provide more specific definitions in the clause when they signed the original agreement, but did not. They also responded to the U.S. governments claim that the trade with Antigua Barbuda was in violation of the GATS regarding protection of public morals, by stating the only moral protection laws the U.S. has are those regarding gambling of minors, problem gamblers and gambling associated with organized crime, but not with online casino companies.

The final ruling is still being awaited, when the two countries go before the Appellate Body of the WTO. If the U.S. is cited in violation and does not fix its own laws to be in compliance with the GATS, it could face trade sanctions and further scar itself with the reputation of being a free trade bully. In the meantime, Antigua and Barbuda will keep its online casino industry running in full force, albeit they faced setbacks, layoffs and a loss of revenue as a result of the U.S. push.

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