The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has once again appealed to the United States to honour the first ruling issued by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in favour of Antigua and Barbuda in relation to US legislation on online gambling, according to reports here.
CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) said the US risks undermining the credibility of the WTO’s dispute settlement process by failing to comply with the organization’s decision on its gambling laws, according to the Washington-based Tax-News.com.
It noted that the statement was issued during COTED’s recent meeting in Georgetown, Guyana.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda, said the Caribbean territory has lost more than US$1 billion in online gaming earnings annually as a result of the US laws.
In 2004, the WTO ruled that the US had violated its commitments as a WTO member, specifically the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), by enacting laws blocking foreign-based operators from offering cross-border gambling and betting services to US consumers.
CARICOM has appealed to the US to remove these barriers to overseas gambling
