The U.S. Government is known to have outlawed online casino and sports betting and implemented legislation prohibiting U.S. banks and Internet service providers to offer any financial services to online bettors and the casino sites. Such gambling revenue dependant islands like Antigua and Barbuda are going to face up the destruction of their economies.

In accordance with the WTO online gambling ruling the U.S. Government’s decision violates the world trade agreement. As a result the U.S. government has been given time to regulate their legislation, but with April 3, 2006 deadline approaching, the situation still remains vague.
The director of marketing at USsportsBook.com Marianne Anderson believes that the U.S. Government’s inclination to influence gambling industry is a trick to protect its own tax revenues from the outflow of gambling money.

The Ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. John W. Ashe, shares this opinion and is sure that thus having ignored the WTO agreement and offered the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2005” and the “Internet Gambling Prohibition Act” it will obviously increase the tension between the WTO and the countries involved.

Marianne’s opinion is that disrespecting the WTO decisions and prohibiting the U.S. citizens to bet online and to take part in different sports betting activities, the USA is likely to experience worldwide sanctions against it. Such a situation will damage the economy much more than “some missed gambling revenues”.

Still the situation remains unclear.