Antigua hits back at US gaming laws

The tiny Caribbean island state of Antigua and Barbuda has taken the first steps to haul the US back before the world trade court in a long-running dispute over internet gambling.

Antigua, which has a population of 68,000, says Washington has failed to comply with a World Trade Organisation ruling last year that US internet gambling laws discriminate against foreign suppliers. As a result, Antigua claims to have lost a large chunk of the rapidly growing offshore gaming business it has been building to diversify its economy away from tourism. US gamblers are estimated to account for about half the $12bn global internet gaming market.

This week, Antigua requested meetings with the US, a prelude to the establishment of a WTO panel to judge compliance. If, after any appeals, the WTO finds the US still in breach of fair trade rules Antigua can ask for permission to retaliate. “Obviously, we are going to have to be a bit creative in order to come up with something to motivate the Americans,” Mark Mendel, a US lawyer advising Antigua, said after the April 3 2006 deadline set for US compliance expired.

Antigua is especially aggrieved because the US has taken no action to implement the WTO ruling, claiming – on the basis of an interpretive statement by the justice department – that its laws are already in compliance.

“Antigua and Barbuda does not believe that a simple restatement of a legal position taken by a party to a dispute… can be considered a [compliance] measure,” Antigua says in its consultation request.
The US argues it does not discriminate against foreign suppliers of internet gambling services because domestic suppliers are equally restricted in offering services across state boundaries.

The WTO agreed the US ban on cross-border gambling services could be justified under WTO rules to protect “public morals” but pointed out remote gambling wagers were permitted under the 1978 Interstate Horseracing Act. Allowing remote gambling on horse races while banning the remote supply of gambling services from overseas suppliers was discriminatory, it said.

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"Brick Wall" for Scottish Bingo Operators

According to a report in the Financial Times bingo operators had suffered the most in Scotland’s smoking ban, with Carlton Bingo calling the ban a “brick wall”, adding that it was “solid, with no way round it”.

Managing director of Inverness-based Carlton Bingo, Peter Perrins, said in the report: “Players arrive late, depart earlier and take any opportunity to exit the building in pursuit of their nicotine fix,

“This affects everyone throughout the session and at the same time, a whole new community has sprung up outside, congregating around any shelter or door to smoke. How long will our customers put up with this before they start to drift away from bingo altogether?”

“For those who have still to feel the effects of a smoking ban, make no mistake – it is a very big issue for bingo providers,” he went on to say. “And short of applying for an outdoor gaming license, if such a thing were available, it’s impossible to secure efficient play when half your players are standing outside the door.”

The Rank Group has also said that early indications showed that there had been a large fall in the amount of spend per customer as well as a fall in admissions since the ban.

Southeast Wichita bingo-parlor patrons surprised by Oprah Visit

As part of a coast-to-coast road trip, media superstar Oprah Winfrey made several appearances in Wichita on Friday.

“We’re on a cross-country junket to New York for the Tonys,” Winfrey stated. Shortly afterward she excused herself, saying she had to call a bingo game.

Winfrey and gal-pal Gayle King were later spotted at Bingo Casino, 2431 E. Mount Vernon, where the two spent about an hour calling numbers and signing autographs.

Regina Edwards, who was at the hall when Winfrey arrived, said “We really didn’t recognize who it was it at first, but then there she was — Oprah — buying bingo papers just like everyone else,”

Edwards was soon joined by Shauntus Grant, who brought the couple’s three kids to meet the star. Grant brought a digital camera with him and was able to capture a few snapshots, while others made do with photos on their camera phones.

Grant said he wasn’t sure what brought the star to Wichita, but he wondered if she might be doing a cross-country segment for the show. “One time she and Gayle traveled to see where they had the best hamburgers,” he said. “Another time they did it with cake.”

Other reported Oprah sightings in the Midwest and West included a train ride in Durango, Colo.; a pit stop at a diner in Fort Smith, Ark.; and a surprise appearance at two Tulsa wedding receptions last weekend. In most cases, the star or members of her entourage said they were shooting footage for future segments on the Oprah show.

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