Antigua’s trade representative has given the United States until the end of the year to comply with its World Trade Organization responsibilities or face the consequences.

On November 23, Antigua made a formal presentation to the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body regarding the now 12-year-old ruling that America’s trade policy vis à vis gambling and betting was in violation of its obligations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. (Read the full presentation here.)

Specifically, the WTO found fault with America’s policy of permitting its domestic horseracing industry to offer interstate online betting while simultaneously blocking Antigua-licensed betting sites from offering similar services to US bettors.

The WTO ordered the US to pay $21m per year until it either scrapped its domestic online betting industry or allowed Antigua-licensed sites access to the US market. To date, the US has done neither of these options, nor has Antigua received one penny of this annual $21m, the total obligation of which has now accumulated to over $250m.