United States group backing Antigua in online gambling dispute
Campaigners in the United States have welcomed a statement by Caricom leaders supporting Antigua and Barbuda in its online gaming dispute with the US. Antigua took the US to the World Trade Organisation and won a ruling requiring Washington to lift its restrictions on cross-border internet gambling. Democratic congressman, Barney Frank, has since introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to regulate, rather than ban – online gambling, including bets placed by Americans in foreign locations like Antigua. 
A new Washington-based activist group, the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative has been formed to back the bill, which Caricom applauded last week. Spokesman Jeffrey Sandman said: “Caricom’s endorsement of Congressman Frank’s Internet gambling bill is another significant indication that the US must readdress the way it now treats Internet gambling. “Rather than face billions in trade sanctions for WTO violations, we hope that Members of Congress will instead regulate Internet gambling in order to comply with the WTO, better protect consumers and generate billions of dollars for important government programs.” Meanwhile, trade ministers of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States have also thrown their support behind Antigua. The ministers criticised US reluctance to comply with the WTO rulings, and also expressed dissatisfaction with an American decision to “circumvent” its obligations by attempting to withdraw their commitments to the WTO tabled in 1994 on internet gaming. They said the US action had so far resulted in the closure of some Internet gaming facilities and the termination of some workers in that industry in Antigua. They gave no figures however. The ministers endorsed Antiguan moves to obtain compensation from the United States.