Baldwin Spencer Meets with US Congressmen

December 14, 2007

Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, met with members of the US Congress, including New York Democratic Representative Charles Rangel, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, during a regional business conference. Spencer stated his hopes to provide his US colleagues with a more positive outlook on the Internet gambling market.

Spencer seeks to resolve the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) battle between the two nations concerning Internet gambling by demonstrating the United States' hypocritical stance towards this popular pastime.

"We're hoping that coming out of this dialogue here, Charlie Rangel would have a better and greater appreciation of Antigua and Barbuda's position," stated Spencer.

When the US passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) last year, making it illegal for financial institutions to facilitate transactions between American customers and online gambling operations, they violated a decade old trade commitment with the WTO. Antigua and Barbuda took the matter up with the WTO on several occasions and won at every turn.

The US government, instead of reopening their online gambling market, decided to withdraw their prior commitment. The WTO responded by allowing the US to withdraw 'remote gambling' from the trade agreement, but declared that they must establish according laws within their own country. The US must also compensate other WTO nations who were effected by the sudden withdraw of the USA from the online gambling market.

Thus far, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Japan, Macau and the 27-nation European Union have all filed compensation claims against the United States.

As Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel oversees tax legislation and revealed that he believes the US government has overstepped it's bounds of authority in this extensive dispute.

Rangel spoke to local reporters, "I think my country is wrong in trying to change the rules of the WTO. Your great nation and ours will have to negotiate those differences in terms of equity and fairness."