Antigua and Barbuda has told the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the United States must address the gambling dispute with St Johns immediately, as the matter has been dragged on for almost two decades.
Antigua and Barbuda had developed an internet gambling industry to replace declining tourism revenues, but it found itself shut out of the world’s largest gambling market.
In 2003, Antigua and Barbuda took the matter to the WTO and eventually won the right to compensation of US$21 million annually after the organization’s judges upheld its complaint that US laws were discriminatory.
However, the US government has not paid out the compensation, which has caused Antigua and Barbuda to suffer significant economic losses.
Antigua and Barbuda presented its latest argument to the WTO last week, urging the United States to make every effort to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.
The country expressed its willingness to engage with the US in any format to settle the dispute amicably, as per the WTO’s report.
The dispute between the two countries is considered a test case for WTO members who want to determine whether the dispute settlement system can provide practical and timely benefits for small and vulnerable economies.
The US expressed its willingness to work with Antigua and Barbuda to resolve the dispute, but said such efforts must be genuine and aimed at finding a resolution.