Despite the fact that a July 11 deadline came and went, Antigua and the United States are nowhere near reaching a settlement agreement concerning the long-standing online gambling conflict between the two.
According to a World Trade Organization ruling, the United States has been ordered to pay the Caribbean island state millions of dollars in damages for blocking offshore gambling operations from entering the US market. Antigua claims that the US has crippled its economy through these moves.
Despite the ruling, the United States is seen to be dangling Antigua on a string and the country had no choice but to agree on another US request for an extension to the deadline. The Finance Minister of Antigua announced last week that the deadline had been extended for a further three months, during which time his country would examine whether it was at all feasible to reach an agreement with the superpower or not.