St John’s…    The Government of Antigua and Barbuda congratulates Mr, Calvin Ayre on the resolution of the criminal case brought against him in the United States.

The dismissal of all felony charges against Mr. Ayre, in a matter that dragged on for over 5 years, vindicates him entirely.

Mr. Ayre took up permanent residence in Antigua and Barbuda in 2007 after acquiring an existing gaming company. At all material times, his company was licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FSRC) to carry on gaming activities and complied with the stringent laws and regulations governing Internet Gaming.

In February 2012, Mr. Ayre was indicted by the US Attorney for Maryland on charges of illegal gambling, despite a legally-binding ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in March 2004 that the US government, by outlawing access of cross-border gaming, violated its treaty obligations to Antigua and Barbuda, under the General Agreement on Trade in Services.