After more than 13 years of battling, officials in Antigua say they are ready to resolve an online gambling trade dispute with the U.S. and accept a compromise offer from their giant neighbor.
Terms of that compromise, however, were not disclosed.
Antigua Foreign Affairs Minister, Charles Fernandez, announced that Antigua’s government is ready to accept the U.S. offer as early as this month. Both Antigua and Barbuda filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization 13 years ago accusing America of unfairly discriminating against Antigua’s licensed online gambling sites that target the US.
The U.S. declared that the sites—or any unlicensed offshore sites—could not legally operate in the U.S. The dispute went before the World Trade Association which sided with the Caribbean islands and ordered the U.S. to pay Antigua about $21 million a year to make up for the lost gambling revenue.
The U.S., however, has not made any payments or complied with the WTO ruling.
The current Prime Minister of Antigua, Gaston Browne, who was elected in 2014, has taken a more conciliatory approach in the dispute than previous administrations, paving the way for a settlement.
