Antigua and Barbuda Granted Settlement from U.S.

Antigua and Barbuda finally received a settlement ruling for their case against the United States but it was for much less than what they had originally asked for. The World Trade Organization arbitrary panel ruled that the United States must pay Antigua and Barbuda $21 million a year. $3.4 billion was the amount Antigua and Barbuda was seeking from the United States in their claim.

The amount was so low due to the fact that the panel was only looking at the dollar amount lost through online horse-racing wagers. The lead attorney on the case, Mark Mendel, stated that all the panels of the WTO acknowledged the used of online gambling in the United States despite the United States trying to stop it all together. The panel refused to take into account for all sectors of online wagering and only counted those that are taxed and regulated. "They basically reversed themselves," Mendel said. "Why they did that, I don't know and probably never will."

Antigua and Barbuda filed their complaint in 2003. Their claim was that the US was in violation of a portion of the General Agreement for Trades and Services that covers recreational activities. Because the US allows certain forms of betting and yet continues to try and stop other forms of gambling, they believed they were breaking the treaty. The WTO has continually ruled in the countries favor and believe the $21 million is what they are entitled to. The larger figure is what was estimated to be lost in the future annually because of the United States position.