Case Study
UNITED STATES-MEASURES AFFECTING THE CROSS-BORDER
SUPPLY OF GAMBLING AND BETTING SERVICES
WT/DS/285/AB/R
The Antiguan government has taken steps since the mid 1990s to build up a primarily Internet-based, “remote-access” gaming industry as part of its economic development strategy. In United States, internet-based gambling was prohibited according to the 1961 Wire Communications Act, and there are several States passing by laws also banning internet-based gambling. In 2003, the Congress adopted the Illegal Gambling Business Act, which provides that whoever conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs or owns all or part of an illegal gambling business shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. At the same time, the Act restricted Americans to make payment to oversea gamble websites through credits and bank accounts. The measures above soon made the gaming industry of Antiguan going to pot.