Antigua gambling update

You may recall that a couple months ago I excitedly reported on the results of the Antigua WTO action against the United States for banning Internet Gambling. The island nation of Antigua and Barbuda won $21 Million in annual concessions from the US, and surprise surprise, the US has yet to begin making good on that ruling.

Antigua Ready To Move Forward With Piracy Over Internet Gambling

Antigua keeps receiving favorable rulings over an Internet gambling issue with the United States. The only problem is the U.S. is ignoring the rulings and refusing to pay Antigua.

Call it a ploy. Call it a negotiating tactic. Whatever you want to call it, the reality is that Antigua is now ready to legalize piracy in order to show the United States they mean business.

"Antigua would be breaking the law if it did that," said USTR spokesman, Sean Spicer. The problem is that the U.S. does not take these threats from Antigua seriously, something the Motion Picture Association of America is worried about.

The association is concerned that copying could be devastating. They are also worried that other countries will follow the lead of Antigua if the U.S. continues their unilateral views in their foreign trade policy.

Antigua simply wants the U.S. to come up with a fair solution to the ongoing battle over the Internet gambling issue. "We have been waiting for three months already and there's been nothing. If the U.S. doesn't come in with something by the end of March, my suggestion to the Antiguan government will be to forge ahead and impose IP sanctions," said Mark Mendel, representing Antigua.

Only time will tell whether Antigua's threats are real. Knowing the U.S. and the current administration that is governing the country, chances are they will not respond to any of Antigua's threats until it is too late.