Statement by the Thirty-Eighth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on US non-compliance with WTO DSB Decision

The CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), at its Thirty-Eighth Meeting held in Georgetown, Guyana 9-10 May, 2014, urged the United States (US) to become compliant with the decision of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body in the matter of Antigua and Barbuda and the US with respect to Online Gaming.

The Council noted that the US had so far failed to become compliant with the decision of the tribunal and had also failed to reach a settlement with Antigua and Barbuda. The Meeting urged the US to make additional efforts to reach a fair settlement.
The Council acknowledged that the case was long outstanding and had the potential to undermine the credibility of the dispute settlement mechanism of the multilateral trading system.

In 2004, the WTO ruled in favour of Antigua and Barbuda after the CARICOM Member State challenged measures implemented by the US, which affected its cross-border supply of gambling and betting services.