Home > Casino News > 22 Aug 2005 US has until 8/06 to meet WTO ruling
The United States has until April 2006 to comply with a ruling about US restrictions on cross-border gaming on the Internet, the World Trade Organisation announced Friday. In an arbitration decision, the global trade referee set the "reasonable period of time" for Washington to adapt its legislation in line with the ruling, which was issued in April this year after the tiny Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda brought the US before the 148-nation WTO.
Antigua argued in the complaint it launched in March 2003 that US prohibitions were harming its online gaming business, which is aimed at reducing the island's economic dependence on tourism. Antigua, with a population of about 68,000, is a centre for offshore Internet gaming operations, attracting large numbers of US residents to its virtual casino-style games and betting services. US officials contended Internet gambling is illegal if it involves activity on US soil, and have vowed to prosecute those involved in the practice. In its ruling, the WTO accepted that prohibitions in some US states on cross-border gaming were valid and agreed with Washington's argument that some federal laws could "protect public morals or maintain public order."
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