, in fighting a objection filed by the small Caribbean nation, said it won key arguments before the WTO that will permit it to retain broad restrictions on Internet gambling.
After all, the US Trade Representative said it will not ask Congress to decline restrictions on online casino betting.
The dispute stems from a objection Antigua filed with the WTO in 2003. Antigua developed Internet casino gambling to improve its struggling tourist economy. Shots by the US government to crack down on offshore casino gambling sites hurt the small country's waning Internet casino industry, causing job loss and government income losses.
Initially in November 2004, Antigua won an initial WTO decision against the United States, siding with the island's plea that US actions to outlaw Internet casino wagering violates laws on a global level. In March, the US faught back that decision by appealing.
The appellate section sided with the original WTO panel, stating the US made general responsibility to permit gambling across national borders as part of a free trade treaty.
