[clevfan]

Gaming fight with US costs Antigua millions: Cort

Thursday March 01 2007



ANTIGUA SUN
by Patricia Campbell


The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Internet gambling dispute between Antigua & Barbuda and the US may be in its final throes, but it will leave a hefty price tag as its legacy to this country.

While the exact cost of the years of litigation has not yet been calculated, Minister of Finance and the Economy Dr. Errol Cort has acknowledged that millions of dollars have been spent.

“In terms of money, it has been an expensive venture,” he said, but he was quick to point out that the government had received “a fair amount” of financial support in its fight from members of the remote gaming industry.

“Obviously, there are direct costs to the government in terms of our participation. Ambassador Dr. John Ashe has been a key person in this whole equation along with our lead attorney. Dr. Ashe has been at most, if not all of the sessions in Geneva and part of the team meeting with the various other country delegations to lobby support… I’ve been to the WTO myself a couple of times, so its not an inexpensive venture,” he explained.

Dr. Cort also pointed out there would have been other significant cost in terms of lost jobs and other economic spin-offs. An industry that once employed more than 1,000 workers in Antigua now, according to Director of Gaming Kaye McDonald, employs less than 600.

Taking all this into consideration, Dr. Cort pointed out that it presents a serious challenge for Antigua & Barbuda, a small developing country, to take on “a giant like the US.

“I think a lot of people felt initially that a small country like Antigua would not have the necessary resources to go all the way and that we would have dropped out a long time ago, but fortunately we have been able to muster the resources… with the help of the industry. We are in there for the long haul and we see victory at the end of the tunnel and that gets translated into a lot of opportunities for the people of Antigua & Barbuda,” Cort added.