Internet gambling dispute
Washington and Antigua will not resolve their dispute over Internet gambling by a Friday deadline, according to Antigua and Barbuda’s attorney in the trade battle. Antigua and Barbuda accuses the U.S. of crippling its lucrative gambling industry by banning Americans from placing online bets with gambling operators -Â including those based in the twin-island country of 70,000 inhabitants. Last year -Â the World Trade Organization backed Antigua’s request to target U.S. services, copyrights and trademarks in retaliation for its online betting ban. Washington and Antigua have since agreed to try and achieve a settlement by a June 6 deadline. However -Â Mark Mendel, Antigua’s legal counsel in the trade dispute -Â said in a Tuesday e-mail that he didn’t believe that was possible. *I don’t think there is any chance of an agreement by (Friday),” Mendel said. “But the government may decide to continue its negotiating efforts in hopes that some progress is forthcoming.* Mendel said Antigua “is trying hard to get the U.S. to understand that finding common ground makes sense.” 
A law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2006 bars banks and credit card companies from processing payments to online gambling businesses outside the country. That regulation effectively blocks Antigua’s access to the U.S. gambling market -Â the most lucrative in the world.