Late last November the Government of Antigua gave notice to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) that if the United States did not reach “an appropriate and beneficial settlement” in relation to a legal adjudication made previously in its favour, it would act to recover the revenue it has lost.
At the heart of the matter was a decision by the US Government to invoke US federal laws (the Wire Act, the Travel Act, and Illegal Gambling Business Act) to halt gaming companies incorporated in Antigua, and others, from providing such services on a cross border basis into the US.
In response, in 2004, Antigua brought a WTO case against the US for the economic damage caused, and for violating its international obligations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. The WTO’s arbitration panel found in Antigua’s favour, and when the