This is from gambling writer Hartley Henderson:
Consequently the following is my prediction with regards to the WTO issue and Antigua. The U.S. will remove its decision to rewrite its commitments, thereby eliminating the need to offer concessions. The country will provide opportunities for EU based companies to compete for online poker licenses when the UIGEA is amended and with Party Poker, Betfair etc. offering products in the U.S. they will be able to state that they are now in compliance because they are allowing foreign entities to offer remote gambling products in the U.S. At the same time the U.S. likely won't do anything with Antigua but they probably won't press the issue either meaning that Antiguan companies will be able to operate as always without U.S. threats. It's also possible, but not likely, that Obama will actually agree to send one of his trade representatives to talk with Antiguan officials (as Antigua has requested) to see if they can come to some sort of agreement which will convince Antigua to abandon their plan to use the $21 million per year award given to them by the WTO and in turn the U.S. may lift their current ban which effectively is treating Antiguan banks as a rogue entity. The Sir Allen Stanford scandal makes that less likely though.
