World Trade Organization Decision Delayed

Yesterday the world was supposed to find out what decision the World Trade Organization had made on the Antigua case against the United States. The panel was supposedly going to award Barbuda and Antigua some or all of what they were asking for in their case.

According to Reuters, the spokesperson for the United States Trade Representative's office, Gretchen Hamel, said that the report has been delayed. The World Trade Organization has yet to reveal why the decision was delayed.
$3.44 billion was the asking price the Antigua and Barbuda governments were wanting from the United States. They felt it was fair compensation for their losses in online gambling when the United States passed the UIGEA bill. The nation first filed a complaint against the United States in 2003. They said that the US online gambling laws violated trade agreements that were made through the World Trade Organization. The United States have been ruled in violation on more than one occasion.

In 2006, the United States decided to pass a new law, the UIGEA, instead of complying with the World Trade Organization. In 2007 the World Trade Organization found the United States had failed to comply so the US started removing online gambling from their World Trade Organization agreements. This move allowed other countries to seek compensation from the US. Hopefully in the near future a decision will be made in the matter and will be made public knowledge. As of yet no date has been set for the decision to be made.