In a recent article published by Reuters, Government officials in the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, which currently licenses dozens of online gaming and poker sites, announced they’re considering the possibility of taking legal actions in the World Trade Organization to prevent U.S authorities from shutting and seizing sites and domains owned or related to three major online poker sites. The announcement comes a week after U.S. prosecutors in New York seized the domain names of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker and charged their owners with $3 billion of fraud and money laundering. I am concerned that at this point in time United States authorities continue to prosecute non-domestic suppliers of remote gaming services in clear contravention of international law, added Antiguas finance minister, Harold Lovell. According to Antigua and Barbuda officials, shutting down online poker sites sites based in the island and other locations, and prosecuting their owners constitutes a clear violation of the international trade law, and claims that its betting operators have every right to offer their services to U.S based costumers. In 2007, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the United States violated international agreements on trade in services by prosecuting the operators of offshore Internet gambling sites, and rejected the U.S. argument that the restrictions were necessary to protect public morality. I dont think theres another country in the world that puts people in jail for engaging in trade thats lawful under international law. Its as if Antigua would put Americans in jail for selling pineapples. commented Antigua’s governments legal adviser Mark Mendel.
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