Antiguan message for US legislators

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U.S. LAWMAKERS TO BE EDUCATED

Antiguan visit will not be an easy trip

Antigua plans to use an upcoming Caribbean business conference attended by U.S. legislators to press its case on discriminatory online gambling legislation in the U.S.

Antiguan officials and politicians plan to raise their tiny nation's long-running trade battle with the United States over Internet gambling as about 10 members of the U.S. Congress gather next week for an annual Caribbean business conference.

Antigua has accused the U.S. of crippling its gambling industry by effectively banning Americans from making online wagers, and the officials will raise the issue at the conference and in private meetings with members of Congress, Finance Minister Dr. Errol Cort said.

The government also plans to invite the lawmakers on a tour of the Caribbean nation's Financial Services Regulatory Commission and some Internet gaming companies, Cort said.

Antigua hopes to prove to the visiting politicians that "...we do have the capacity to adequately regulate these gaming operations," Cort told The Associated Press.

The U.S. Congress last year barred American banks and credit card companies from processing online gambling payments, denying international gaming businesses access to the lucrative U.S. market. Antigua, which has a population of about 70 000, filed a complaint with the World Trade Organisation and is seeking US$3.4 billion in trade sanctions.