After the ruling which saw the WTO (World Trade Organization) find mostly in favour of Antiguas case that the USAs online gambling restrictions unfairly discriminated against non US companies, the WTO has set an April deadline for the USA to comply with the ruling.



The USA had requested that the deadline be set at July, but the WTO decided that, although it would prove challenging for the USA to reach compliance before the April deadline, it was possible and that the additional months were not needed.

In the original WTO investigation Antigua, a popular choice for basing offshore gambling operations, had contended that the existing US regulations discriminated against non domestic companies and created an uneven playing field for foreign based competitors. The WTO upheld much of the complaint.

How the US intends to adjust its gambling laws to reflect the WTO ruling is currently very much open to question. A spokeswoman for the USTR (United States Trade Representative) said that the USTR would examine the ruling and do its best to meet the timeframe, although the changes would not necessarily mean any relaxation in the US restrictions on internet gambling